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November 1, 2005
A Canadian veteran wipes away a tear on Juno Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings. (Source: Times Colonist, June 7, 2004.) The words 'freedom' and 'liberty' have been used so frequently in the American media these last few years that the words have been robbed of the true spirit of their meaning. Without politicizing my sentiments about how these words have been cheapened, I feel that this recent rhetoric has devalued the unfathomable sacrifices made by so many people. The military and humanitarian contributions of Canadian men and women in uniform have made immeasurable differences to peoples around the world - many nations regularly recognize the sacrifices that Canada has made for them. On November 11, we Canadians should do the same for our own servicemen and servicewomen. Canada's war-related casualties in the last 100 years: The Great War (1914-1918) Killed: 66, 665 Wounded: 173,000 (approx.) Second World War (1939-1945) Killed: 42, 042 Wounded: 53, 145* Korean Conflict (1950-1953) Killed: 516 Wounded: 1,255 Peacekeeping (1950-present)** Killed: Over 100 Total casualties: 336,723
My grandfather, Robert 'Bob' Donald (1898-1976) fought for Great Britain in the Great War with the 5th Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders (Scotland). He fought in the trenches in Belgium and in the mountains in northern Italy. Like many veterans, he seldom spoke about the war to his family - and what was mentioned were only brief snippets about the 'good times' with his comrades. He would recount how on the first Christmas of the War (1914) his regiment sang the verses of Silent Night to the German troops across 'no-man's-land', and the enemy responded with the corresponding verses in German. Another such 'good memory' was how him and the lads would pass time in the trenches by smearing the ends of their rifle-barrels with bacon-fat, wait for the rats to come nibbling, and then pull the trigger. These were 'good memories'. Him and all four of his brothers left for the War. Only him and one brother returned. Poppa died when I was a toddler. I remember a quiet, rotund man who bounced me on his knee. I remember the smell of cigar smoke. But the old black-and-white family photos show him as a scrawny Scottish kid wearing a uniform that was several sizes too large. They gave him a gun and then he went of to live in the blood and the gas and the mud for four years. He was seventeen years old when he left for war. When I was seventeen, I was worried about how my hair looked. Poppa lived a long life. He immigrated to Canada in the 1920's and worked for Hudson's Bay Mining Co. in northern Manitoba until he retired to Victoria in 1962. He enjoyed 14 years of retirement, and passed away from a sudden stroke while lawn-bowling.
My dad joined the Royal Canadian Air Force when he was seventeen (see October 11, 2005). He piloted crash-boats (fast-response rescue/torpedo boats) during the Korean War with 426 Squadron; much of his time in the theatre was spent rescuing downed U.N. aircrew who had ditched or bailed out over the Yellow Sea. Again, he has never divulged much of his experiences then. He's told me tales of his training days and of his peace-time service after the Korean Conflict. He was awarded a medal for bravery for recovering depth-charges from a sunken Canso Catalina near Victoria (wearing an old-fashioned dry-suit with the big brass helmet fed by an air-hose). He told me about how he met his wife, a nurse at the infirmary, when he ordered crates and crates of condoms (that they inflated and threw overboard for target-practice with the ship-board .50-caliber machine-guns... so he says). Dad's still involved in the various veteran's associations around town. He sells poppies for the Legion in November, and always marches with the Korean Veteran's Association on Victoria Day and Canada Day. For the last few years, he's escorted our MLA to lay a wreath at the local cenotaph. Through him, I've had the pleasure of meeting many old vets; listening to them can be a valuable, entertaining experience. And sometimes, after sharing a few drinks with these old gents, it can become painfully clear how these men have had to live with traumatic experiences that have haunted them for the last 50 or 60 years... We must do our best to record the lessons of our veterans, whether orally, informally (like this posting), or through archiving. The Canadian Legion offers a service to input testimonials; please try to do what you can to preserve the sacrifices of our veterans so that future generations can appreciate their efforts. The numbers of these folks, especially our WWII and Korean veterans, are quickly dwindling. If we don't do our part to listen to, and remember, what they have to tell us, their legacy will be lost to us and our children. There is no question that, at least in the short-term, history is written by the victors. But over time, reflection and research often reveal shades of gray to the reasons behind war. In my mind, however, Canada's involvement in the conflicts of the last 100 years has been quite justified. We have never been aggressors, and have often come to the defense of the threatened or persecuted. If you see fit, please donate to the Canadian Legion Poppy Fund. Funds raised go towards aiding aged/disabled veterans, as well as a variety of educational and scholarship programs. You can also pay your respects at a Remembrance Day service in your municipality at 11:00 am on November 11th.
* Note the discrepancy in ratios between 'killed' and 'wounded' between WWI and WWII, due mostly to the advent of penicillin. In WWI, an infection from a simple cut from barbed wire could easily result in death. ** Canada has sent more Peacekeepers to conflict zones than any other country. |
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