Paul GrossVeterans' Affairs Commendation
A small spec photo but the only one I've found so far!
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Gross was awarded the commendation for his film Passchendaele which was inspired by his grandfather who fought in the First World War. Gross' father was also a military man who commanded tank squadrons during the Korean War and Cold War.
"In my ignorance I didn't know this commendation existed. I was absolutely floored," he said.
Gross stressed the importance of keeping the memory of Canada's military history alive, especially as there are fewer veterans to call on every year. "It's so important we keep this stuff alive."
Passchendaele was the highest grossing Canadian film of 2008. Gross said the amount of interest in the country's military history is often underestimated. When he first started the project he thought he was the only one interested but as word got out he was astounded by the amount of mail he received some offering up diaries as reference material. Extras showed up during filming wearing their own uniforms, he said.
"A big piece of who we are is because of these sacrifices of the men and women in various conflicts," he said.
Still, he noted it took longer to get financing for Passchendaele than to fight the First World War.
"We forget it at our peril," he said of our military history.