A cipher clerk at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Gouzenko defected in 1945 with proof that the Soviet Union had been spying on its wartime allies: Canada, the United States and Britain. He sought asylum for himself and his family in Canada: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/igor-sergeievich-gouzenko
"One time I drove for 36 hours without stopping. When I stopped it was just long enough to off-load and load. That was war. That’s what you trained for. I would eat on the fly. I ate hard tack, and Bully beef. We’d have to drive to artillery guns and through that I would off-load the truck. They said “you could turn around over there but be careful we haven’t cleared that yet of land mines. They could hit your truck. You had to turn that truck around in the dark hoping that you would not hit a mine. So your nerves tightened up like fiddle strings until you’d get out of that. The guys would say to us, “see you when you get back, ok”; you wondered, will I get back or not?" -Taken from Cromwell's testimony to The Memory Project, which you can read here: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mpsb-everett-sylvester-cromwell
"The women in the armed forces during the Second World War really opened up women to work in non-traditional jobs because we all had these wonderful jobs helping the men during the Second World War. In fact, the sailors congratulated the Wrens [Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service] often, the signal Wrens for the good work they were doing because they thought the girls were better than the boys at signaling.
We were more dedicated. The women had never had jobs like this before and we wanted to prove ourselves. I think that’s part of it. And the men accepted us." -Beatrice Mary Geary
Beatrice provided testimony to The Memory Project Archive, a repository of Canadian veterans' oral histories, here: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mpsb-beatrice-mary-geary-nee-shreiber
Kostelec wears the USA-Canada shoulder title of the FSSF on his uniform. (photo by Lieut. Frederick G. Whitcombe, courtesy Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-183879). You can find more info on the FSSF here: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-special-service-force
Lightfoot Roman served with the Canadian General Hospital No. 3 (McGill). He was also likely the first Black Grand Master of a traditional Masonic lodge. Image dated based on resemblance to other dated images seen here: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-lightfoot-roman
Source with Ruth's testimony about the war here: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mpsb-ruth-masters