Pechet, Mitch: my wartime experiences (March 19, 2007)
Interviewer: Fitch, Edward and Sharon
An interview/narrative of Mitch Pechet's experiences during World War II. Pechet with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Interview took place on March 19, 2007.
ABSTRACT: Mitch Pechet Mitch was 22 years old when his father sat down with his three sons and told them, 'You know what you have to do.' Mitch felt that a lot worse would happen if the Allies lost the war. All three Pechet boys joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, Mitch signing up in 1940, in Winnipeg. His flying training took Mitch to Brandon, Verdon and Dauphin Manitoba. He was subsequently stationed in Dorval and Lachine, Quebec, Gimli, Manitoba, and Calgary, Alberta to #3 Service Flying School where Mitch taught flying to new recruits. Calgary was also the place where Mitch met his future wife Judy Shapiro. His wartime service lasted until May 8, 1945 (VE-Day) and Mitch left the Air Force as a Flight Sergeant. Prior to the war, Mitch had been a professional hockey player, so it was only natural that upon demobilization Mitch returned to hockey, playing 4 years with the New York Rangers, 4 years with the St Paul Saints and 4 years with the Calgary Stampeders. When Mitch retired from professional hockey he went into the hotel business in Edmonton and Calgary. In 1970 he moved his family to Victoria. Asked how being Jewish affected his wartime experiences, Mitch said he never met any anti-Semitism. 'Once you put on a uniform, everyone is the same.' He recalls being hosted by local Jewish families for Jewish holidays in every city where he was stationed. He remembers with fondness the great kids he helped train, and the sadness for those that did not return. His parting message is 'there comes a time in everyone's life when you have to stand up and be counted.' As with most Canadians at that time, Mitch was not aware that Canada didn't allow in Jews from Europe, nor about the Holocaust. This only became known after the war. Mitch echoed what many have said: 'If you don't believe in history, you will live to re-live it.'
Interviewee: Pechet, Mitch
- In Collection:
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 48.4359, -123.35155
- Original sound recording (DVF) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- PM_551
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/edward-fitch-collection
- August 28, 2012
- Digital sound recording in .wav format at 16 bits and 44 kHz. In .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 24 kHz. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2012. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
