William H.A. “Billy” Willbond MSM, CD

Born 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Billy joined the Canadian Army at age 17. In 1960, at the height of the Cold War, he was posted overseas and was on active service during the building of the Berlin Wall and during the Cuban Crisis. He also served with the United Nations on Cyprus in 1965.
After 3 years as Operations Sergeant in Canadian Airborne Regiment, Billy studied Chinese for 3 years before being posted to the Special Service Force in 1977 as Operations Sergeant. He retired from the Army in November 1979.
Billy is married and with his wife Lynn, has four children and five grand-children. He is a life member of the Canadian Airborne Forces Association, a Life Member of the British Columbian Federation of Peace Officers, a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Association, a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, and a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) WO’s & Senior NCO’s Club (Retired). He is the Secretary of the Mark Isfeld Memorial Chapter of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping (CAVUNP), the National Chairman of the CAVUNP Honours and Awards Committee, the National President of the International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS CANADA) and an active contributor to the International War Veterans Poetry Archives.
In recognition of his selfless service to his country, Billy is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, Special Service Medal with NATO Bar, Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, United Nations Forces in Cyprus Medal, and the Canadian Forces Decoration.
Read Billy’s detailed biography and hear it in his words as recorded on
THE MEMORY PROJECT DIGITAL ARCHIVE

Click banner to visit the MCpl Mark Isfeld Memorial Chapter of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping (CAVUNP)
Click to visit the Mark Isfeld Memorial Page
Index of Writings
- A Canadian Soldier Poet’s Thoughts
- A Dream in Brentwood Bay
- A Family Tradition
- A Farewell Salute to a Fine Soldier
- A Farewell to Arms (Canadian Style)
- A Farewell To Norm
- A Farewell to SNIC
- A Farewell to Stan Stothard
- A Farewell to the 1st Bn Chief Clerk, Chester Hendricks
- A Few Words for Colin Jones
- A Fond Farewell to Lady Patricia
- A Gift Of A Thistle – Tears For My Friend
- A Moment in Time – Disgrace Shattered By Rhyme
- A Quiet Graveside Moment
- A Saviour Unto Us Is Born – This Christmas Morn, 1946
- A Sleeping In The Park
- A Small Victory Reported
- A State Funeral for Our Last WW1 Warrior
- A Traitor is as a Triator Does (or Loose Lips Sink Ships)
- Aches and Moans and Broken Bones
- Affection
- Airborne All the Way
- Airborne Medics
- Airborne: Winter Warfare Tasks
- Al Qaeda Now Killing Moslems
- An Ode to Cyril “Neuf” Barnes
- An Ode to Dennis and the Vets
- An Ode to Ken Tucker
- An Ode to Ken Umpherville
- An Ode to Michael of the Massai
- An Ode to Mike Levy – A Canadian Hero
- An Ode to the “Worthy” Man
- An Ode to Tony Pahl
- An Old Paratrooper’s Thoughts
- An Old Soldier’s Thoughts
- Arar’s Secret Being Kept?
- Are The Islamic Bullies Winning?
- Armageddon Poetry
- Art, Good Guys, and Poems
- At War With My Country: 16 October 1970
- Authorities Hailed As Terrorists Jailed
- Barrack Room Babble (Thoughts)
- Bayonet Drill
- Big Leader and the Trouser Weights
- Big Mac’s Passing
- Bill Fisher: The Old Soldier Has Gone Home
- Black Puttee Lament
- Blandishment at the United Nations
- Blast From The Past
- Blessings
- Blue Jackets on Parade
- Bombers and Small Newspaper Articles
- Books
- Boomer’s Legacy
- Boy Soldiers?
- Bringing Home Khadr
- Brothers in Arms
- Buck And The War Poets
- Bug Out: Poems from the Battalion
- Buildings, Headlines and Questions
- C Coy Sgt Major John Clee
- Canada Day Parade in Sidney, BC
- Canada Loses Face – National Monument Disgraced
- Canada Too, Aye?
- Canada’s 1st Line Saviours
- Canada’s Boy Soldiers
- Canada’s Terrorists
- Canadian Airborne Regiment: Disbanded in Disgrace?
- Canadian Errorists in Our Midst
- Canadian Heroes Recognized?
- Canadian Islamic Terrorist Murderer (Says Snowball Call Unfair?)
- Canadian Pride
- Canadian “Purple Heart” Debate
- Canadian Sanctuary for American Deserters
- Canadians Are Naïve
- Canadians Back Their Men And Women In Harm’s Way
- Carol Isfeld
- Casper Shears and Harry Brown – Two Old Riflemen of Renown
- Casualties
- Clahowya Tillicum
- Clawback Campaign
- Adscam Party Wins Three By-Election Seats!
- Canadian Pension Claw-back Petition
- Clawed Back and Still Marching
- Clawed Back but Still Kicking
- Clawed Bawls
- Dither Speaks and the UN Squeaks
- Election Erection 2008
- Election Time Rhyme
- Facing the Unknown
- From Front Page To Buried Deep!!
- Getting Crumbs When Vets Want Cake
- Getting Old and Getting Taken
- Harper Majority Likely?
- Having A Bad Day
- I Received a Flyer
- Is SISIP Aware… and Do They Care?
- John Labelle Gives Them Hell
- Kindred Spirits In Combat Boots
- New Year Thoughts
- November the 12th in Vancouver
- Nuclear Test Guinea Pigs And Agent Orange Victims Assisted And Small Victories Declared In Afghanistan
- On The Army Pension
- One of the Best Birthdays I Ever Had
- Our Tory Government – An Honest First Term
- Pension Dissention
- Poems
- Politics Make for Strange Bedfellows
- Shafted
- Surplus?
- Susan Riley Rated Highly
- The Canadian Election – Fall Of 2008
- The Clawback – A Pension Dissention
- The Claw Back and the Election
- The Clawed Back Veterans
- The Lie Brano Silence
- The Pictures of My Youth
- The Veteran
- The Veterans Flyer
- They Claw Back Veterans, Don’t They?
- Tory Party About To Lose Because Of a Claw Back
- Unfriendly Fire?
- Writing Books
- Colonel Mike Drapeau – The Soldier’s Friend
- Compensation from the Nation?
- Congratulations: Anthony William Pahl OAM
- Cost
- Courage and Survival
- Courage (The Chopper Crews in Iraq)
- Criticism
- Current Affairs
- Cypriotic Thoughts in Vancouver Rain
- Dad’s Shadow Box
- Death Before Dishonour – The Tattoo
- Dedication to a Friend
- Déjà Vu?
- Deliberate (Doodle Thought Poetry)
- Dessert and Farewell
- Deuce Horn – Mascot of 2 QOR of C
- Did You Scare The Mayor?
- Dieppe Remembered
- Dithering the Wounded
- Diuturnity
- Does Canada Protect Terrorists?
- Doodle Thought Poetry
- Face of Evil
- Fame
- Farewell to the Band Sergeant
- Fear
- Fidelity
- Fighting Evil
- First Memories of Childhood
- Fortitude
- Fossil Man Thoughts
- Fought-A-Lot-Firlotte
- Frank’s Blankety-Blank Rank Prank Stank
- Frank’s Last Posting
- From Callow Youths are Soldiers Made
- Front Line News
- Fulfilment
- Genocide in Darfur
- Glib
- Gloria’s Gone To Glory
- Going Through the Ranks
- Golden Ale
- Government Issue Dioxins
- Guarding the Home Front
- Gunner’s Farewell
- Hagar The Horrible
- Hamas Canadian Terrorists
- Hauling Limbs
- He Led From the Front (General Sir Frank Hassett: 1918-2008)
- \“He” – The Door-Way Bedspace Man
- Headlines
- Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
- Here Comes the Judge
- Here’s A Jump Story
- Heroes
- Heroes Unsung – At the Battle of Kapyong
- Highway of Heroes Song
- Home Sweet Home, 1959
- Honouring and Recognizing Our Combat Casualties
- Hot Chocolate on the Ice
- In Pace Paratus
- Inheriting a Rifle Regiment Background
- Is Your Sleeper Cell Doing As Well?
- Islamist Terrorism Continues Unabated
- It Is Not Retreat In Defeat, But A Victory We Seek!
- Izzy Doll Angels
- Jamie Murphy Came Home Today (03 February 2004)
- Jealousy in the Battalion
- John Carson’s Passing
- John “The Greek” Catell
- Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden
- Jumpers Down
- Justice To Be Served Must Be Seen?
- J.W.L. – Poet/Photographer/Machine-Gunner/Humanitarian
- Kandaharabob
- Kenyan Justice
- Khartoum Dust
- Killed In Action: Captain Richard Leary – B Coy 2nd Bn PPCLI
- Landslide Ujal and Our Own Teflon Bob
- Last Canadian Survivor of the War to End All Wars
- Last Post to Derek Bamford
- Last Posts
- Last Trip Home
- Leadership Acknowledgement
- Lew
- Lies – Dammed Lies
- Linda
- Looking At the Hour Glass
- M Score (Army IQ Tests)
- Major Murray Edwards Meets the Aussie Bard
- Manicures and Pedicures?
- Manitoba Parliament Pays Tribute To Norman Van Tassel
- Mark Left His Mark
- Maroon Beret Photo
- Medical Report – John Carson
- Memories
- Memories of SSgt Rocky Prentice
- More Blue Beret Thoughts and Tears About Rwanda
- More Questions
- Mothers’ Day
- Mothers of the Silver Cross – Lest We Forget
- Mountains and Valleys
- Murray Campbell Edwards
- My Good Friend, Tony
- NATO’s Shame in the Waiting Game
- NDP Making Political Brownie Points At The Polls?
- Never Again?
- Nicknames
- Nobel Peace Prize Denied To A True Humanitarian Hero?
- November the 11th – Peacekeepers Remembered
- Obituary – William Willbond, MSM, CD
- Occision of Innocents
- Ode to a First Nation’s Sniper
- Ode to a Shanty Man
- Ode to an Army Wife
- Odium
- Oh Canada We Stand On Guard For Thee?
- Oh They Have Crawled Through Afghan Mud!
- Oh What Glee! It’s a Spending Spree!
- One Old Soldier’s Opinions
- Order of Canada For Mr Jan de Vries
- Orders Parade
- Our Heroes
- Pacifists, Radicals, the Politically Correct
- Parachute Wings
- Park Bench Headlines
- Pay Parade
- Peacekeepers Remembered
- Phyllis
- Pictures of My Youth
- Pioneer Axes
- Poets Talk the Talk and Ask the Task
- Politicians – Ya Gotta Love ‘Em
- Portrait of a Soldier
- Protestors At It Again
- Puttees
- Raeside – The Cartoon Buffoon
- Real Canadian Heroes
- Recruit Training
- Reflections
- Regimental Birthday, 2006 (Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada)
- Regimental Dress
- Remembrance Day – A Cynic’s View
- Responsibility to Protect
- Retirement
- Rifle Family Memories
- Rifle Regiment Dress
- Rifle Regiment Thoughts
- Rifleman “Big Mack” MacDonald
- Riflemen
- Rifles Reunion (3-5 June 2005)
- Roll Call
- Ruminative Thoughts
- Sacrilegious Activities
- Sadists of Iraq: Al Qaeda
- Saint Michael – Patron Saint of Paratroopers
- Sanctuary
- Saturday’s Rant
- Scare the Mayor
- Scary Canadian Sleeper Cell Jihadists – Are They Still In Training?
- School Talk Poetry
- Scumbag Taliban Training Facility Struck
- Scumbags At Home
- Sea Of Red
- Sergeant Major Daddy Whelan
- Shadows
- Shame
- Shell Shock
- Short Time Jamie’s Gone Home Early
- Sir Roger’s Bones Came Home
- Smokes
- Soldier Poet Thoughts
- Soldiers Demand an Apology (History Repeats Itself in Pictures)
- Some Blue Beret Thoughts and Tears about Rwanda
- Some Darfur Thoughts for Clair Rainville
- Some Dark Historical Thoughts (near the Sennelager Tent Lines 1961)
- Some Items in the Victorious Times Communist: Friday June 13, 2008
- Some Places Must Always Remain Free
- Some Soldiering Memories
- Some Thoughts about Darkness
- Some Thoughts about Germany, 1959-1963
- Some Thoughts on the “Wet Canteen”
- Somme Lesson
- Sorry Janice!
- Speaking Up Because I Fear Nuclear Winter
- Special Operations Area Status
- Special Ops and Global Cops
- Spring Hope (Translation of a Chinese poem by Du Fu)
- Stormin’ Norman and Friends
- Suck It Up
- Suicidal Fanatics
- Suicide Bombers
- Support The Troops
- Sweat
- Taciturnity and Silence
- Tales from the Ranks
- Taliban Targets Canadians
- Ten Years of Darkness
- Terrorist Field Soldier – Fighter Omar Khadr
- Terrorists Rights Violated?
- Thank the Tank Crews
- Thanks For The Memories
- The Acquisition of Previously Owned Fighting Vehicles
- The Ants
- The Atomic Bomb Testers
- The Badge
- The Beautiful Blue Planet (The Clock Is Ticking For Our Home)
- The Best Birthday I Ever Had
- The Bomb Tech
- The Bomber Martyrs of Islam
- The Bouncer
- The Canadian Landmine Foundation
- The Canadian Myth – Montreal Headlines
- The Canadian People Now Have a Peacekeeper Day
- The Canadian Victoria Cross
- The Demotion
- The Dolls of Joy
- The Drink
- The Fallen Eighty Three
- The Farewell Mess Dinner
- The First of July
- The FNG’s Ten Mile Stare
- The Forgotten Canadians
- The Functional Poet
- The Gatling and 16-Pounder
- The Glock Upon the Wall
- The Good, the Bad, and the Airborne
- The Greatest Canadian
- The Greek, He Ate Some Tainted Meat?
- The Grey Beards
- The Harsher World?
- The Heroes of Afghanistan Return
- The Idea of Miscommunication
- The Intellectuals
- The Jest Dressed Guy In Town
- The Last Canadian VC
- The Last Feu De Joie: 1 QOR of C
- The Last of the 1914 – 1918 Warriors
- The Last Successful Cavalry Charge
- The Lie
- The Life and Times of Billy, the Soldier Poet
- The Maelstrom
- The Magnificent Seven
- The Major’s Lady (A Farewell to Morrie)
- The Medals of Tommy Prince, MM
- The Marriage Allowance Dilemma
- The Mobile Bath Platoon
- The Morning Rant
- The Nova Scotian Wedding
- The Obituary (John Carson)
- The OC of D Coy Remembered
- The OC’s Pansies – Road To Promotion
- The Ordnance Corps (It Is No More)
- The Out of Body Experience
- The Padre’s Cap Badge
- The Passing of a Canadian Hero
- The Passing of Machine Gun Bill Fisher
- The Password
- The Patrol
- The Pay Parade
- The Peaceful Face of Iran
- The Person Who Changed My Life
- The Plan
- The Prince of Peace Wears a Blue Beret
- The RCR Plan
- The Regimental Birthday
- The Regiment’s 145th Birthday Bash
- The Resupply Donkeys of Lefkara
- The Ridley Tube
- The Right Fight?
- The RSM Has Gone Home
- The Sacred Heart Tattoo
- The Saga of the Canadian War Museum
- Bomber Command (Crews Are Heroes, Not War Criminals)
- CWM Berates Our Bomber Command
- CWM Exhibits Amended
- Farewell Joey Guerts and Your Posters of Hurt
- F’n Clap Trap
- Food for Alternative Thoughts
- Han Gwo
- Hanging Matchee and Brown
- Korean War VD Stats Poster
- Lest We Forget the Aboriginal Veterans
- Message to My MP, Gary Lunn
- Military History PhD Experts Questioned
- Only Civvies Know What Real Art Is!
- Ottawa War Museum (A Visual Criticism Of Modern Veterans)
- Reciprocity
- Suspect Hung (In the Canadian War Museum, Without Trial)
- That Wreched, Defamatory Sign
- The CWM Replaces Canadian Judge and Jury
- They Tore My Soul and Broke My Heart
- VD Stats – The Lie – Why?
- The Sennelager Stink
- The Soldier Do-Gooder
- The Soldier Poet’s Mom
- The Stook Game
- The Trip: Kabul to Kandahar
- The Ungrateful Traitor
- The Unsophisticated Poet
- The Veterans Hospital
- The Walrus and the Eagle
- The World Gone Mad
- The Yawn
- There Is A Wall Of Honour
- There’s No Debate – It’s A Land of Hate
- They Mended Fences in the Global Village
- They Shot the Children (Troubled Thoughts In A Dream)
- Things Have Not Changed
- Thoughts of Cyprus in Vancouver Rain
- Thoughts on Being Canadian – Eh?
- Three Privates Passing
- Towers and Ashes – A Repeat of New York?
- Training In The Fire Lanes
- Veteran
- Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Veterans Individual Plan (VIP)
- Veterans’ Benefits?
- Victoria Cross Recommendations
- Vinculum
- Wall of Honour Filling Up Fast
- “Wanted Poster” Poetry
- We Have Seen the New Veterans
- We Won’t Let Opinions Cloud the Facts, Now Will We?
- Welcome Home, Bobby Collins
- Were We Just Guarding the Grow Op?
- What IWVPA Means to Me
- What Rhymes With Afghanistan?
- What’s In the Daily News?
- What’s My Lai? – I’m Not the Guy!
- Wheelchair Soldier
- Who Knew?
- Who Watched Over the Children of War?
- Why Stephane Wants To Run
- Will Canada Ever Again Award the Victoria Cross?
- Will We Weep for the Children?
- Winning the 649 Jackpot – Without Buying a Ticket!
- WWII Swimming Lessons