The purpose of the Library of Congresss Veterans History Project is to get every veterans story from the humorous and the heroic to the harrowing.

For years, the Library has collected the stories of the men and women who served from World War I to the nations most recent conflicts. Its personal for project director Karen Lloyd.

Not only is she the child and spouse of a veteran, shes a veteran herself.

I would suspect that you have veterans in your communities and you have no idea of their service, she said. And that's why it's so important that we seek them out and then listen really listen so that they'll tell you their story. And you'd be amazed what you hear from them and, and sometimes it just gives you goosebumps and sometimes you just laugh out loud.

After she accepted the job in 2016, she sat down and shared her story with the project. She wasnt prepared and thought it would only take a few minutes. She spoke and recalled her experiences for more than two hours.

The project is dependent on volunteers who go out and record veterans stories and share them with the library. This past year alone, Lloyd said the Library of Congress received 3,400 veterans accounts of their experiences. Approximately 3,200 came from volunteers.

One volunteer made it his purpose to go to every state and collect a story from Gold Star families to make sure that their loved ones stories werent lost. Lloyd said the project is also trying to focus on Gold Star families, as well as the perspective of the spouse, child or parent of a veteran.

She sees Colorado as a target rich environment, with an estimated 400,000 veterans here. The project only has about 2,300 interviews from the Centennial State.

Link:
The Library Of Congress Wants To Hear Every Veteran's Story. That Includes Those In Colorado - Colorado Public Radio

By next year, the Duane G. Meyer library website will be totally transformed and upgraded. Dean of Library Services Thomas Peters recently announced the library is migrating from online service MOBIUS Consortium to four new computer systems.

The MOBIUS Consortium is an online program that links libraries throughout the Midwest and allows them to share resources. Though it was started in Missouri, it now stretches into Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Texas.

Peters said the migration was brought on by the software MOBIUS requires. Missouri State University has used the online catalog for 17 years, and the current version of the software used at MSU is not the one used by MOBIUS.

Peters said students have used MOBIUS less and less in recent years, and costs to maintain the service have increased. The migration will use less money in the long run and give the university more control over providing information to those who need it.

Our out of pocket expenses will go down and we will have more control over the systems, Peters said. One of the challenges is that we dont have all the information people need, so we need to rely on other libraries. MOBIUS was excellent for that, so we are working on other agreements so that our students, faculty and staff can get the stuff they need to do their work.

The main system MSU will use is a new online catalog named FOLIO. Peters said it is an open-source software developed by many major universities, such as Yale and the University of Chicago.

MSU is one of the first universities in the world to implement FOLIO, calling the project to install the software FIRST FOLIO at Missouri State.

The second service will be the EBSCO Discovery Service, a search engine that allows users to access and print online content quickly and easily.

The third will be OpenAthens, which helps users sign-on and manage both their identity and access to resources. It will also replace a proxy server used by the library to gather online resources and improve network performance.

Finally, E-Resource Management is a software that aims to manage, assess and improve the retrieval of online content and services. This will also help control costs to the library.

The new services are planned to be implemented by summer 2020. The library website already has updates on the project under the FIRST FOLIO tab on the homepage.

Original post:
Library leaves the MOBIUS program | News - Standard Online

CLEVELAND, Nov. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Public library patrons can join millions of readers worldwide in a riveting tale of survival during Big Library Read, the world's largest digital book club. From November 418, booklovers can borrow Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones' powerful debut novel, I'm Not Dying With You Tonight, from their public library as an ebook or audiobook with no waitlists or holds. Readers may join by visiting their local public library's website or downloading the Libby app, borrowing with a valid library card and discussing online at https://discuss.biglibraryread.com/. Hundreds of schools around the world are also participating students can read the digital book through their school's website or Sora classroom reading app.

Big Library Read is available in over 22,000 libraries and schools worldwide, including over 90 percent of public libraries in North America. The program, which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year, is facilitated by Rakuten OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for popular ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. I'm Not Dying with You Tonight was chosen as the 20th selection of Big Library Read by a popular vote of readers, librarians, teachers and students worldwide.

"Libraries played an important role in both of our lives," said authors Segal and Jones. "To us, the library represented the opportunity both to lose ourselves in new stories and to check out and revisit a beloved book a million times. For that reason, we are thrilled that I'm Not Dying With You Tonight has been selected for the Big Library Read."

I'm Not Dying with You Tonightfollows two girls with two very different backgrounds who must rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has enveloped their city. When both girls attend the Friday night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. They aren't friends and hardly understand the other's point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they're going to survive the night.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonightwas published by Sourcebooks and can be read on all major computers and devices without waitlists or holds through Libby or libbyapp.com, including iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook as well as "send to Kindle" in Libby [US libraries only]. For students of participating schools, Sora is available through the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and on Chromebooks supporting the Google Play Store as well as via web browsers at https://soraapp.com. With both apps, the title automatically expires at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

To join the discussion, learn about past Big Library Read titles and download Libby, visit biglibraryread.com.

About Rakuten OverDrive OverDrive is the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools worldwide. Named one of PCMag's Best Free Software of 2019 and one of TIME's Best Apps of 2018, the award-winning Libby is the "one-tap reading app" for libraries. We are dedicated to "a world enlightened by reading" by delivering the industry's largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and other digital media to a growing network of 43,000 libraries and schools in 76 countries. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten. http://www.overdrive.com

Contact:David BurleighDirector of Brand & Communicationsdburleigh@overdrive.com

Link:
Libraries and Schools Worldwide Join Largest Global Digital Book Club with Compelling Tale of Survival - News-Herald.com

Nov 06, 2019 Kate Hill Achievers, Cazenovia Republican, Library News, News

On Oct. 10, New Woodstock Free Library Director Norm Parry received the prestigious Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) Library of the Year award at the CLRCs annual conference and membership meeting. (Submitted)

Staff Writer

This fall, The New Woodstock Free Library was named the winner of the prestigious Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) Library of the Year award.

The CLRC is one of nine New York State library councils dedicated to helping libraries, museums and archives with resource sharing, professional development and more.

According to the CLRC, the distinction of Library of the Year is awarded [annually] to the library that exemplifies excellence across a variety of markers.

The award category is open to any academic, public, school, or special libraryin Herkimer, Oneida, Onondaga and Madison County.

Nominations for both the Library of the Year award and the Library Staff All-Star award are solicited each year from library patrons and staff. A panel of judges, who work and reside outside of the CLRC service area, selects the winners.

The 2019 award-winners were honored at CLRCs annual conference and membership meeting on Oct. 10 at the Rome MVCC campus.

We are delighted to receive this honor on behalf of our library community of volunteers, staff, trustees and supporters who provide outstanding service to the public every day, said New Woodstock Free Library Director Norm Parry. A quarter century ago the library adopted the slogan The Growing Place. Since then we have expanded our library facility, kept our technology up to date and provided personalized service to our patrons.This acknowledgement of our library is [a] strong endorsement of our efforts to provide a library where everyone can grow and fulfill their dreams.

For more than 75 years, the library has enriched the community through its exhibits, events and programming.

New Woodstock is a full service, customer-focused modern library serving a diverse rural demographic, so that residents dont have to give up big city culture for the charm of country life, Parry said in a press release.

The library has curated nearly 200 distinct exhibits, including shows by the Cazenovia Watercolor Society, agriculture themed displays, annual student art shows, and programs addressing social and public information topics.

This past year, the library received a $35,000 grant to replace its ceilings. It also continued its virtual gallery art digitization project involving works by local artists; presented seven major art and information exhibits; and supported an English as a second language tutoring program.

Recently, the library partnered with the neighboring town of Georgetown to launch an initiative aimed at delivering library resources to underserved and un-served rural populations.

The project enables Georgetown residents to borrow books from their town hall, and to access the internet on a dedicated computer inside the building.

Recognizing that many rural communities in New York State are un-served or underserved by a public library, New Woodstock undertook a demonstration project to see if partnerships between towns and libraries could provide more convenient, closer to home library services and help close the digital divide between rural and non-rural communities, Parry said.

This unique partnership was particularly impressive to the CLRC judges, who, according to a press release, view the initiative as a model for improving rural access to libraries across the state.

The project was funded by a literacy grant from the Mid York Library System.

Parry anticipates that the CLRC award will facilitate the librarys efforts to secure additional grants in the future.

Certainly this honor will reflect favorably on thelibrarys ability to deliver on our partnerships with other agencies and support our fundamental mission of being good stewards of the public interest, with sustainable funding initiatives and grant program opportunities, he said. Granting agencies want to be sure the organizations they support are ready and able to carry out innovative activities and maintain the organizations infrastructure. This award will provide additional evidence that we are potentially strong candidates for the kind of assistance that benefits the whole community.

The New Woodstock Free Library is located at 2106 Main St. (Route 13), New Woodstock. To learn more, call 315-662-3134 or visit newwoodstocklibrary.org.

For more information on the CLRC Library Awards nomination process, visitclrc.org/awards/.

Read the original post:
New Woodstock named Library of the Year - Eagle News Online

A new free little library in Okotoks is sticking out in the community.

Jakki Smolcic and her family builta library modeled after the old-fashioned English red telephone boxes.

While the Smolcic's have been enjoying the product of their labour, it was a ton of work putting the library together.

"It was a huge undertaking. The specifications, and how to get it all together took tons of work," Smolcic said. "It has so much paint on it. Sherwin-Williams kept stocking this safety red paint for us because coat after coat after coat we had to keep painting."

The little free libraries have been popping up around the Foothills for a while, and Smolcic was excited as soon as she saw the idea.

"I love reading, and I love books. As soon as I heard the idea of these little libraries and people being able to share, take a book or donate a book, I thought it was just a fabulous idea," she said. "I was very excited to get one of my own, and be able to go out to the salvage centre and go through and pick out a whole bunch of books that I've readthat I want to share with other people."

The goal was to have the phone box library ready in time for Enchanted Okotoks in early November. Once people saw it it began making the rounds on social media, and prompted a huge discussion and appreciation among community-members.

"I've talked to a few people who were checking out the library, and they visit and talk, and chat about how we've been in town, things like that. It's nice, you get a little bit more of a conversation with people," Smolcic said.

"People will drive by, and slow down and look at it, and if they see us out in the yard they'll chat and ask us questions."

The library can be found on Poplar Avenue.

Questions, comments, and news tips can be sent to [emailprotected]

See original here:
New Little Library Big Hit In The Community - HighRiverOnline.com

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All-Ages Day at the Teen Spaces, the ground floor, Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, IN (2019-11-10) - WFHB News

Nov 05, 2019 Jason Gabak Eagle Observer, News, News, Press-Observer, Skaneateles Press

Marcellus Free Library plans November events

Fall Story Times Sessions have begun! Preschool Story Time on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. through Dec. 3. For children ages 4 through 6 years old. Registration is required.

Toddler Story Times on Wednesdays at 9:30 and 10:15 a.m. through Dece. 4. For children ages 18 months through 3 years old accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.

Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. Read to Doc the Doodle Dog! For emerging readers of all ages. Look for Doc in the Childrens area of the library.

Monday night is Trading Card Game Night at the Library: Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 6 p.m. A free community program where students and families can learn and play trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokmon in a judgment-free zone.

Monday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Nature Kids Yoga with Carrie. For children ages 3 and up. Please bring a yoga mat or a towel. Free. Registration required.

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 to 4 p.m. Family Puzzlemania! Puzzles of all types to challenge puzzlers of all ages. Drop in for a few minutes, or stay the two hours. All ages welcome.

For adults

Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 11:30 a.m. The Marcellus Garden Club hosts Bartlett Tree Experts. They will discuss the work they have done in Marcellus Park saving 100+ trees from disease. Open to the public

Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Marcellus Free Library Board of Trustees Meeting. Open to the public.

Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6:45 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Paper Crafts with Alyson Esposito. Make a beautiful homemade greeting card using the rubber stamping technique. Adults only please. Register with Alyson directly: aly.esposito3440@gmail.com or call 315-604-6467.

Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Onondaga Audubon Society presents: Raptor Migration at Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch with Andy Mason, the co-president of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, and co-chair of the Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. the Marcellus Mini Movie Family Film Festival (M3F3). M3F3 is dedicated to bringing films to our community which entertain, make us think, reflect our local environment and are fun for all members of the family. Our mission is to increase film making and appreciation in the community. Free and open to movie-lovers of all ages.

Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. Upstate Medical University hosts Hands/Wrists Pain and Ankle Arthritis Program in the Library Community Room with Michael J. Schreck, MD, Assistant Professor, Upstate Medical University, Hand, Wrist and Upper Extremity Surgeon, Upstate Orthopedics. 6 p.m. Options for aching hands and painful wrists: Learn about causes and treatments for hand and wrist related pain as well as latest options for treatment and repair. At 6:45 pm Scott M. VanValkenburg, MD, Assistant Professor, Upstate Medical University, Department Chief, Foot and Ankle Surgeon, Upstate Orthopedics, Ankle Arthritis. Free and open to the public. Please register directly with Upstate: call 315-464-8668 or email, info@upstate.edu.

Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Trivia Night at the Library hosted by Director Jake Widrick. Please register. Free to play BYOB (bring your own bottle) and snacks. The 2019-2020 MFL Trivia Season starts now! From September through May, teams will be competing for the season grand prize: MFL Trivia Champion Tshirts and some other swag, including your name engraved on the MFL Champions Cup. Feel free to register like normal on a monthly basis, but also email Jake directly at jwidrick@gmail.com to let him know your team name.

The visiting artists for November will be members of the Camillus Art Association.

The Marcellus Free Library will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28 and the following day, Friday, Nov. 29.

Continued here:
November has plenty to offer at the Marcellus Free Library - Eagle News Online

Mississippi State Universitys Mitchell Memorial Library hosts technical skills workshops throughout the year inside the Digital Media Centers makerspace, one of which is a knitting workshop.

The last workshop was taught by Teri Robinson, an assistant professor in the Office of Thesis and Dissertation Formatting, and Caree Sisson, Technology Specialist for the Digital Media Center. Attendees were instructed in basic knitting skills, such as how to make a garter stitch, and practiced using skeins of yarn and 3D-printed knitting needles. Attendees got to take home their yarn and needles at the end of the workshop.

Sisson acknowledged the 3D-printed practice needles were not high quality, but she added that their lower cost, compared to metal needles, is beneficial for the library and the students.

It allows people to have something to take home and practice with. We want to provide patrons with materials instead of having to keep them here, Sisson said.

Robinson, who has been knitting for over 10 years, said she hoped those who attended the workshop gained an appreciation for the art.

Knitting is considered an old lady hobby, but theres a lot more to it than most people expect," Robinson said.

This is the first workshop Robinson has taught on knitting, but she said she would teach more if asked.

Robinson noted the positive benefits community members could find in knitting.

If you can learn some of the basic techniques, then it opens up a whole new world of creativity for you, Robinson said.

Sisson said she has been crocheting for almost 10 years, but she has only been knitting for three weeks.

Its really difficult, so I might not keep it up. I have a lot of crochet projects I would like to do, Sisson said.

Sisson has also taught a crocheting workshop for the Digital Media Center. These workshops are part of a larger effort by Sisson to promote the Makers Space.

Weve had a crochet workshop, a knitting workshop, a decal workshop and were having a Christmas t-shirt workshop in December, Sisson said.We want to give students access to things they might not otherwise have access to.

Sisson hopes to expand the workshops further by collaborating with student groups and offering tutorials on more advanced techniques.

I spoke with the fiber arts club about possibly working together, Sisson said. We hope having more teachers will allow us to offer more workshops at more levels beyond beginner.

Sisson also said she hopes to create more informal knitting events where students can collaborate and share knowledge.

Its helpful to have other people as resources, Sisson said. If someone knows how to do a stitch I dont, I can just ask.

Sisson also said students can set up individual appointments if they would like to continue developing skills from a workshop or if they missed a workshop but still want to learn.

Laura Terry, workshop attendee and staff member within the forestry department, has been knitting for seven years but found the workshop to be a helpful confirmation of her knowledge.

Im mostly self-taught and dont practice much, so I wanted to make sure I hadnt made something up about how to knit, Terry said.

Terry described the workshop as an affirming experience.

I was struggling, but I could see other people struggling too, Terry said. It helped me remind myself that its okay to not totally get it.

Terry said attending the workshop has inspired her to continue with knitting as well as start new projects.

Im making a scarf for my girlfriend which I hope to have done by December, Terry said. Im thinking about setting up a one-on-one appointment to find some direction on starting other projects.

Terry said she hoped to go to future workshops.

I think it was a great experience, Terry said. Ive even had coworkers ask about it to see if theyd like to do it, too.

Mitchell Memorial Library offers workshops for academic and extracurricular topics. Details on upcoming workshops can be found on the MSU events calendar as well as the Mitchell Memorial Library website. Students interested in setting up one-on-one lessons in knitting or crocheting can email the Digital Media Center at dmc@library.msstate.edu.

Continued here:
Students stitch in style in MSU library's makerspace - The Reflector online

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The following events are planned for adults, children, young adults, and their families in December 2019 at George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, 8125 Ashlane Way, The Woodlands, Texas. All events take place at the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library:

Featured Event

Monday, December 9th from 5:00pm-7:00pm Holiday Open HouseCome join us as we celebrate the holiday season with a special Open House complete with refreshments and a special appearance by Santa. Everyone welcome!

Thursday, December 12th at 10:00am and 11:00am Storytime with Santa Children 12 and youngerSanta will be visiting the Mitchell Library for a special storytime at 10:00am and 11:00am. *Dont forget to bring your camera!*

Computer Classes

Tuesday, December 3rd at 9:30am How to Search the InternetNew to searching the internet or want some great searching tips? This is the class for you!

Tuesdays and Thursdays, December 5th, 10th, 12th, 17th, and 19th at 9:30am Make It Your Own Series (Parts 1-5)If you enjoy crafting, youll have fun creating holiday items such as holiday cards, gift boxes, gift tags, table placeholders, and gift certificates. Bring a flash drive to save your creations, or email them to yourself at the end of class. Each class is independent of the others. Feel free to come to one, just a few, or all five classes!

Fridays, December 6th and 13th from 9:30-11:30am Open LabHave a question about your computer, phone, or tablet? Need help using a Microsoft Office program or other software? Come visit the Computer Lab during Open Lab and our computer analyst, Brian, can help you find answers to your technology questions.Monthly or Bi-Monthly Events at the LibraryTuesday, December 3rd from 5:30-8:00pm De-Stress Sesh Teens 13-17 Teens have an opportunity to decompress by coloring, journaling, listening to music, playing games, aromatherapy, and snacking. Registration requested.

First and Third Friday, December 6th and 20th at 9:30am Needlecrafts: Knit & StitchCrocheters, knitters, embroiderers, quilters, and all textile artists welcome. Bring your own work-in-progress and supplies! Drop by Conference Room 222 on the second floor for inspiration and to meet fellow crafters.

First, Second, and Third Friday, December 6th, 13th, and 20th from 2:00-3:00pm Tunes @TwoOur popular program is back! Enjoy holiday favorites performed live at 2:00pm in the library lobby.

Saturday, December 7th from 10:00am-3:00pm - LEGO Fun Children 5-12Children ages 5 -12 are invited to get creative and build anything they choose with lots of Legos. This event is a come-and-go activity and a child must be supervised by an adult.

Second and Third Tuesday, December 10th and 17th at 1:00pm Adult Writers GroupIf you have a writing project you would like to start or a project you want to finish, Mitchell Writers Group might be a source of inspiration for you. Participants discuss each others work and offer supportive critique. Come join the fun!

Second Tuesday, December 10th at 1:30pm CrafternoonsJoin us in Community Room 102 for Crafternoons, an adult-focused craft program for adults and families to express their creativity! Each month will feature free crafts to create and take home, while supplies last. No advanced skills needed; just show up ready to have fun, meet other community members, and create something amazing! All ages welcome, but be aware that crafts are intended for adults. All supplies and instructions provided; no registration needed. Join us as we make seasonal wreath ornaments. Happy crafting!

Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30-8:00 pm Gaming Night Teens 13-17Teens gather to play games of all kinds, from classic board games to the newest video games. Snacks provided. Registration requested.

Thursday, December 12th at 1:00pm Adult Movie MatineeWe invite you to join other fans for popcorn, a drink, and a movie in Community Room 102.

Monday, December 16th from 1:00pm-3:00pm Holiday Gift Wrapping & Cookie TastingNeed a place to wrap your presents away from home? The library will provide paper, boxes, and all other wrapping supplies. All you need to do is bring your gifts and be ready to wrap! As you wrap, sample different holiday cookies and vote for your favorite!

Tuesday, December 17th , Wednesday, December 18th , and Saturday, December 21st from 10:00am-3:00pm Craft Fun Children 12 and youngerCome to the library for creative, self-directed craft activities for children. This event is a come-and-go activity and a child must be supervised by an adult.

Tuesday, December 17th at 5:30pm Movie Night Teens 13-17Pizza, popcorn, and movie candy will be served. Registration is required.

Weekly Events at the Library Mondays from 10:00am-12:00pm - Tiny Tots Library Play Time Ages 3 and youngerJoin us for a come-and-go Family Place Library weekly event that encourages play with educational toys and board books. Spend time together, play in a playgroup atmosphere, make friends, and visit with other parents. *There will not be Tiny Tots Library Play Time on December 23rd and December 30th. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am, 10:30am, and 11:00am - Family Storytime Ages 3 and youngerThis story program is for children and a caregiver with an emphasis on stories and activities for toddlers. This program emphasizes early literacy skills and is a great way to meet other families with young children. *There will not be Family Storytime the weeks of December 16th, December 23rd, and December 30th.

Tuesdays at 1:30 pm - School Age Storytime Ages 4 and upChildren are introduced to new authors and illustrators and develop listening, thinking, participation, literacy, and social skills. * Children may attend story club by themselves, but a parent or guardian must remain in the library during the program. **There will not be School Age Storytime on December 17th, December 24th, and December 31st.

Library Holiday ClosingChristmas Early Closing December 23rd all MCMLS branches close at 5pmChristmas Holiday December 24th and 25th all MCMLS branches closedNew Years Eve- December 31stall MCMLS branches close at 5pm

All current library events may be viewed at the MCMLS website - http://www.countylibrary.org**All events are free and open to the public****All events are subject to change without prior notice. Please check with the library to confirm the day and time of the events**

Read the rest here:
George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, The Woodlands Texas, Announces Events For December 2019 - Woodlands Online

On the opening morning of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Capt. Thain MacDowell ran towards enemy lines through a welter of mud and craters, sleet and machine gunfire.

He reached his objective, a German trench, only to find that he had become separated from most of his company. Joined by a pair of army couriers, MacDowell captured two machine gun placements, then climbed down a flight of steps into a deep dugout.

Around a sharp corner, he confronted a roomful of German soldiers. He turned and shouted to an imaginary group of Canadians behind him to hold their grenades. Seventy-seven Germans surrendered.

He sent the prisoners up the stairs in groups of 12 to conceal the fact they were surrendering to just three Canadian soldiers.

They had plenty of rations but we had a great time taking them prisoner, MacDowell wrote in a dispatch later that day, April 9, 1917.

His act of courage and deception would earn him the British Empires highest decoration for military valour. One of four Canadians awarded the Victoria Cross at Vimy Ridge, MacDowell was the only one still alive six months later when he returned home to Brockville on sick leave.

MacDowell was not sick in the conventional sense: He was suffering from what military doctors called war neurasthenia, or shellshock. His symptoms included depression, insomnia, headaches, irritability, fever, perspiration, difficulty concentrating and decreased energy. He also had a slight speech impediment.

MacDowell was one of 10,000 Canadian soldiers diagnosed with shellshock during the First World War.

The condition baffled doctors and challenged military leaders, who didnt know how to deal with the flood of traumatized soldiers that accompanied every major battle.

Some attributed the phenomenon to emotional weakness or malingering. More than 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed for cowardice or desertion during the war, including 23 Canadians.

An unknown number of them suffered from what today we would call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

War has inflicted trauma on successive generations of Canadian soldiers whose psychiatric injuries have been variously labelled shellshock, battle exhaustion, combat stress reaction and PTSD. The evolution of that diagnosis has traced a century of conflict: It is a story of service and science and suffering.

First World War Victoria Cross winner Lt.-Col. Thain MacDowell.SunMediaArchive

Capt. Thain MacDowell

In February 1915, British psychologist Dr. Charles Myers was the first to identify the phenomenon of shellshock. In the medical journal The Lancet, Myers recounted the case histories of three soldiers traumatized by shell explosions. Curiously, he said, the soldiers hearing was little affected, while other functions such as sight, smell, taste and memory were damaged.

The close relation of these cases to those of hysteria appears fairly certain, he concluded.

Hysteria was a mental disorder, attributed mostly to women at the time, which typically featured nervousness, fainting or fits. Shellshocked soldiers could be rendered mute or left with partially paralyzed limbs.

Some doctors theorized that shellshock was the result of a physical brain injury caused by soldiers repeated exposure to blast waves from exploding shells a new part of industrialized warfare. Others pointed to afflicted soldiers who had never been in an explosion to argue that the condition was due to a weakness of the nervous system, neurasthenia, triggered by the general stress of war.

The worlds first personality test was developed in an attempt to identify recruits with the emotional instability that could put them at risk for shellshock.

Treatments were mostly experimental, and sometimes, horrifying.

In December 1916, Myers spearheaded the establishment of specialized medical units near the frontlines to assess and treat traumatized soldiers using Freudian talk therapy. Theorizing that shellshock was a stress disorder, he believed a patient had to relive his experience to reintegrate the traumatic event with his conscious mind.

A Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis Yealland, was the leading proponent of an altogether different school of thought: that shellshock was a kind of personal failure.

Yealland, a clinician at Londons National Hospital for the Paralyzed and Epileptic, was convinced he could recondition traumatized soldiers through the power of suggestion. He regularly accompanied those suggestions with powerful electric shocks, and sometimes, cigarette burns. He used electrotherapy on 196 patients during the war, and published his results in a disturbing 1918 book, Hysterical Disorders of Warfare.

No one, including Yealland, could suggest that war hero Thain MacDowell lacked battlefield courage or personal fortitude.

Awarded the Victoria Cross in June 1917, MacDowell was hospitalized in England and sent home to Canada in October. He spent three months at Brockville General Hospital where, according to his medical history, he suffered a nervous breakdown.

In January 1918, after a period of rest, he was deemed fit for service again: Officer shows much improvement since last examination has regained his emotional control. No attacks of crying since Nov. 17.

MacDowell returned to England in February 1918, and spent the year in officer training as the First World War raced towards its bloody conclusion. He returned to Canada in December, one month after the armistice, and again sought help.

A medical history taken at the time says: Officer states that he tires easily and cannot sleep. Has not slept well since Nov. 1916. He may sleep 3 to 4 hours a night if there has been no excitement.

(In November 1916, MacDowell was thrown into the air by a shell blast at the Somme; he earned the Distinguished Service Order for his role in capturing three machine gun posts during the same battle.)

In January 1919, MacDowell was made commanding officer of a demobilization unit in Ottawa, where he was also an outpatient at the Sir Sandford Fleming Convalescent Home. He could only manage the work for a few months. By August 1919, he was an in-patient at Montreals Ste. Anne de Bellevue Hospital, complaining of depression, insomnia, restlessness and irritability.

He tires very easily and in all work loses interest, reads his medical case history.

In Montreal, he was prescribed massage and hydrotherapy, a popular method for treating mental illness in the early 20th century. Warm, continuous baths were used to treat agitated patients; they were often bathed in a darkened room for hours, sometimes days, at a time.

In October 1919, after MacDowell was deemed medically unfit for service and discharged, he returned to Ottawa, where he slowly recovered his mental health. His military file does not disclose what treatment he received.

For five years, he worked as private secretary to the minister of defence, and in 1929, married Norah Hodgson, of Montreal. They had two sons. He later entered the mining business as an investor and executive.

MacDowell died of a heart attack in March 1960. He was 69.

Ted Patrick was a signalman (radio operator) in the Irish Regiment of Canada.Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

Signalman William Ted Patrick

In the Second World War, signalmen maintained communication links between frontline officers and headquarter staff who managed the battlefield.

Enemy forces regularly used signalmen they carried radios on their backs to aim their artillery since they knew officers would be nearby. It made Signalmen William Ted Patrick a target in 1944 as he fought his way north through Italy with the Irish Regiment of Canada. He suffered perforated eardrums from shells exploding so close to him.

Patricks Italian campaign had other harrowing moments. In the Moro River Valley, he saw a heavily pregnant woman ripped open by a landmine. During another advance, he had to cover the lighted dials of his radio as German soldiers walked past him into an ambush.

He did not seek help for the profound anxiety he suffered.

Infantry soldiers like Patrick were the primary victims of battle exhaustion in the Second World War. Research by Canadian military historian Terry Copp, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, found that 90 per cent of Canadas battle exhaustion cases came from ground troops.

In part, that was a reflection of the Royal Canadian Air Forces uncompromising attitude towards aircrew members who developed psychiatric problems and refused to fly. Such airmen were branded as lacking in moral fibre or LMF; they were often demoted or dishonourably discharged.

The Canadian army took a more pragmatic view. Its senior psychiatrist, Col. Frederick Van Nostrand, wanted battle exhausted soldiers treated quickly while close to the frontlines so they could be promptly returned to action.

It meant that as Canadian forces fought through Normandy, hundreds of soldiers were treated each week at field dressing stations for acute battle stress. Typically, they were sedated for 24 hours, given two days of rest, and counselled by a therapist. Many were returned to action only to suffer another breakdown.

Battle exhaustion cases represented one-quarter of all wounded soldiers among Allied forces.Those numbers caught military planners by surprise in Canada, where medical officers had tried to weed out recruits with emotional instability.

The methods that were used were no better than flipping a coin, Copp, the author of two books on the history of combat stress, said in an interview. None of it worked in terms of predicting who would break down or who would not break down under conditions of combat.

In a prophetic report filed at the end of the war, Van Nostrand said he was unsure doctors would ever solve the vast problem of the psychiatric breakdown of soldiers during war.

It is my opinion, he wrote, that the methods now employed in the British, American, and Canadian armies will not materially lower the incidence of psychiatric casualties in a fighting force.

There are various reasons for these opinions but two of them are fundamental: First, there is direct conflict between the needs of the service and the needs of the individual soldier as assessed by his physician. Secondly, the attitudes and behaviour of the successful soldier are contrary to most of his previous teaching. He must not allow death or mutilation of his comrades to prevent him from reaching his objective, and finally, he must pretend that he is glad to risk his life for that cause.

Van Nostrand pleaded with military planners to accept that normal people cannot always manage the exceptional stress of war. Every soldier has his breaking point, he warned.

Ted Patrick had bumped up against his breaking point.

Ted Patrick.Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

After the Second World War, Patrick returned home to Ottawa and buried his memories. It was a common approach. He married, took a job in the civil service, and launched a bee-keeping business to supplement his income.

All the while, however, the tide of war washed over his subconscious. Patrick sometimes attacked his wife in the middle of the night, believing her to be an enemy soldier; she eventually began to sleep in a separate bedroom. Other times, hed wake up sobbing.

Patrick scrupulously avoided the legion hall and regimental reunions anything that brought the war to mind. He was also extremely cautious. He didnt like to go to unfamiliar places; he was, he said, like a rat that stayed close to a wall.

I would not take a chance on getting hurt or having the family hurt. I was always extremely cautious and went around danger, he once told an interviewer.

It wasnt until the 1980s that Patrick was finally diagnosed with PTSD; his psychiatrist urged him to confront his wartime trauma. Talking about his experiences and sharing his memories eased Patricks anxiety. Late in life, he became a dedicated volunteer at the Canadian War Museum and travelled to Holland for ceremonies to commemorate the countrys liberation.

He died in February 2015.

Gordon Forbes poses for a photo in his home in Ottawa Tuesday Oct 29, 2019.Tony Caldwell / Postmedia

Lt. Gordon Forbes

Gordon Forbes, 76, of Orlans, was on board H.M.C.S. Kootenay 50 years ago during the worst peacetime disaster in the history of the Royal Canadian Navy an event that would colour much of his life.

On Oct. 23, 1969, H.M.C.S. Kootenay was in the North Atlantic, returning to Halifax from a NATO naval exercise. At 8:21 a.m., during a full power trial a drill to test the destroyers performance at top speed an explosion ripped through the ships engine room. A mass of flames shot from a broken gearbox, setting fire to the 10 men inside of the room.

Only three escaped alive.

Thick black smoke quickly filled the lower decks, but its source wasnt readily apparent to those on the bridge, including Lt. Gordon Forbes, the ships weapons officer who was responsible for Kootenays 50 tonnes of ammunition.

Engineering Officer Al Kennedy, one of those to escape the engine room, stumbled into the bridge, blackened and badly burned: Fire in the engine room, he announced.

That posed problems. The ships firefighting equipment was stored near the engine room, and the ships main ammunition magazine was immediately behind it. A sailor reported the bulkhead between the two was already hot.

Divers donned tanks and masks to descend into the smoke: They retrieved the ships firefighting equipment and rescued sailors trapped by the blinding smoke. Forbes sprayed down the magazine to reduce the threat of a catastrophic explosion.

If the magazine had blown up, it would have destroyed the ship, he told this newspaper.

It took about three hours to bring the fire under control; the magazine was then flooded to better stabilize the munitions.

Those on board were told not to talk about the disaster, which had killed nine of their fellow sailors. No one really knew how to deal with it, said Forbes.

At the time of the Kootenay disaster, the Vietnam War was in full swing: In 1969, the number of deployed U.S. troops peaked at 549,000.

HMCS Kootenay approaching flight locks, Welland canal.CF Photo Unit / Brown

Curiously, few soldiers reported battle fatigue symptoms in Vietnam. Army officials attributed that development to limited battlefield exposure: Soldiers were rotated through the war on one-year tours of duty. It gave them a firm date by which their wartime ordeal would end.

Many military planners thought the problem of battlefield stress injuries had been solved.

Instead, of course, it had simply gone to ground. Tens of thousands of soldiers returned from Vietnam traumatized: afflicted by nightmares, insomnia, depression, rage, paranoia and addictions. Psychiatrists labeled the phenomenon delayed psychiatric trauma or post-Vietnam Syndrome since some thought the disorder was unique to Vietnam.

It was the first time that psychiatrists recognized that stress injuries were not always immediate, but could announce themselves months, even years, later.

Psychiatrists who worked with Vietnam veterans lobbied to have the disorder formally recognized, and in 1980, the authoritative American Psychiatric Association made PTSD part of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The formal recognition of PTSD had profound consequences and allowed for better diagnosis and treatment. Therapists recognized the same disorder in Holocaust survivors, sexual assault victims, first responders and others afflicted by traumatic events such as the Kootenay explosion.

Sub-Lieut. Clark Reiffenstein, one of those who donned scuba gear to plunge into the ships smoke-filled lower decks, died of suicide one month after the fire. He was posthumously awarded the Star of Courage.

Many other Kootenay sailors struggled with alcoholism, nightmares and anxiety.

In 1990, Gordon Forbes was diagnosed with clinical depression soon after retiring from the navy. He suffered from paranoia and had difficulty sleeping. His condition was later linked to PTSD and recognized as a service injury by Veterans Affairs Canada.

It was one measure of the advance in the militarys approach to psychiatric infirmity.I was very pleased that they started to recognize PTSD, he said, and not just throw people out of the service on medical grounds, which is what happened to people who went to get help after the Kootenay fire.

In 2010, Forbes published a book, We Are As One, about the disaster and its emotional aftermath. Researching and writing the book, he said, was a cathartic experience for everyone involved: I had so many men come up to me after I wrote the book and say, I thought I was the only one.

Natacha Dupuis is a former Canadian soldier and Afghan vet who suffered debilitating PTSD after her war service.Julie Oliver / Postmedia

Master Cpl. Natacha Dupuis

Ten years ago, in March 2009, Master Cpl. Natacha Dupuis was put in charge of her first mission with the reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons: a week-long foot patrol in Kandahar Province.

Qualified as a tank gunner, she had served in Bosnia and was on her second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Leaving the Forward Operating Base Frontenac, a military outpost near Kandahar, Dupuis led her patrol to a hilltop camp. The next morning, as the patrol departed, a massive explosion ripped into the armoured vehicle behind Dupuis vehicle. The 14-tonne Coyote was blown into the air and landed on its roof.

Dupuis helped to collect the remains of two dead soldiers while preparing for a secondary attack that never came.

Her team was quickly evacuated, but Dupuis kept reliving the incident and re-imagining the terrible scene. For days, unable to turn off her flow of adrenaline, she couldnt sleep. A psychiatrist prescribed her sleeping pills, but she struggled through each day and often sought out a private place to cry.

She willed herself through her final two months of service in Afghanistan.

As soon as she returned home to Petawawa, however, she fell apart: Dupuis suffered powerful flashbacks and panic attacks that left her gasping for air. Diagnosed with PTSD, she transferred to Ottawa, then took a leave. She left the military for good in 2014.

Her story is a familiar one. A Veterans Affairs Canada report last year revealed that about 16 per cent of Canadas Afghan veterans more than 6,700 soldiers have been diagnosed with PTSD.

The PTSD rate remained high in Afghanistan even though the military had tried to carefully prepare soldiers for the stress of war.

Soldiers were briefed about the nature of stress injuries and the importance of seeking early treatment. Those leaving Afghanistan were given an overseas decompression period and repeatedly screened for PTSD or related afflictions. But the psychological inoculation of soldiers did little to reduce the overall incidence of PTSD.

I personally feel I was absolutely ready to face going to Afghanistan, said Dupuis. I was given very good training and it showed. We were able to react to the IED attack. But how do you prepare people to see a horrible scene like that?

After her diagnosis, Dupuis explored a variety of treatments, including cognitive therapy, a kind of talk therapy designed to help patients identify negative patterns in the way they perceive and deal with everyday events.

At Montfort Hospital, she tried a newly developed treatment, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which had been shown to help people process their traumatic memories through a series of guided, rapid eye movements. The therapy is believed to mimic the beneficial effects of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, which plays a role in the healthy storage of emotional memories.

EMDR was really difficult, said Dupuis. It would drain me a lot because it takes you right back to the trauma: You would feel like you are still there.

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A century of trauma: Tracing the evolution of PTSD through four soldiers - Ottawa Citizen