HALIFAX — The family of a decorated 94-year-old veteran who has been fighting for a bed at the federally-funded Camp Hill Veteran's Memorial hospital in Halifax says he is getting his wish.
Peter Blendheim, who spells his name differently from his father Petter Blindheim, says he met with Halifax MP Andy Fillmore today and was informed that his father would be admitted to the hospital.
Ottawa initially rejected entry to Camp Hill for Blindheim, a veteran of the Norwegian Royal Navy and merchant marine, because it said Norwegian forces fighting from England didn't qualify as official allies.
The department recanted that position, but then again rejected the former sailor last week — who has fallen repeatedly and broken his arm — on the basis that Ottawa can pay for any necessary care at provincial facilities.
Petter Blindheim was commended by the Royal Norwegian Navy for his courage when a torpedo sank a vessel he was serving on in November 1942.
After torpedoes struck the Montbretia, Blindheim ran to the deck and removed a primer from the depth charges he oversaw to help ensure they wouldn't go off and kill sailors in the water as the ship sank.
After the war, he emigrated to Canada.
