Veterans Week starts on November 5 and culminates on that symbolic day of November 11 for Remembrance Day. Veterans Week has also been proclaimed for the town of Assiniboia, joining towns and cities across the province. So, if you see a war veteran or Legion member this week, take a minute to say thanks.
This year, Remembrance Day will be a little more special as Canadians mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele taking place in the summer and fall of 1917. The Canadian Corps joined the fighting 100 years ago in October. Victory came at a high cost. It was a brutal campaign on a field of mud as far as the eye could see. Over 4,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives and almost 12,000 more were wounded.
Action in this battle added to the growing reputation of the Canadian forces as the best offensive fighting force on the Western Front. Our troops gained for us a new respect on the international stage that we are still benefiting from today.
Although a young nation, Canada’s military has joined in wars for over a century all over the world. As part of the British Empire, our troops and volunteers joined in the fighting of the First and Second World Wars, scoring major victories as at Passchendaele. In modern times, Canada still sends troops and special forces to conflict zones abroad – to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and South America. Our forces are involved in about 30 military operations at any one time nowadays that range from training local military to peacekeeping to supports to action in theatres of war. Some of the most recent have included Afghanistan, the Gulf War and as part of coalition forces against ISIL.
How will you be marking Veterans Week? Likely, like everyone else, you might find yourself rushing around at work or to family engagements. You may throw a few loonies in a Legion Poppy Fund box as you roll your grocery cart into the store. But is this all the veterans get from us? We might all take a minute or maybe a few more to understand how Canada’s military past has contributed to our future.
There are those who say, “Why is Canada involved in wars so far away? That’s their problem.” or “How does that affect me?” How? The bane of global terrorism which knows no boundaries – that’s how. Nightly on the news we watch revolutions sweep away corrupt dictators from power, followed by power struggles, chaos and economic uncertainty and groups like ISIS coming in the back door to take advantage of the confusion. They might be in the Middle East today, but they could be on our doorstep tomorrow.
We might think we are far away from the turmoil of the world tucked away in southern Saskatchewan, and we have our military to thank for that. Our safe and secure Canadian lifestyles come in part from our military’s contributions. Warfare is no longer conducted as in past centuries on a nice agreed upon battlefield between two armed forces. It has spread to include civilian targets. We’ve witnessed the dramatic footage on television as bomb blasts kill people at music concerts, night clubs, sporting events and shopping districts. This is warfare of the 21st century kind.
Our military is not only involved in warfare, they can also be found assisting during natural disasters, search and rescue, forest fires and patrolling the seas.
As these great military feats like Passchendaele recede into history and the veterans of these engagements pass on, Canadians look like they might be forgetting their service and sacrifice. The motto is “lest we forget” but it is more than just remembering the sacrifices of our fellow Canadians of the past.
Our military falls out of the public eye and is also ignored in our halls of political power. Veterans groups have been lobbying for better after-care of our serving military personnel for things like prosthetics for those who have lost limbs and even transition programs into civilian life. I know of a few former military who don’t even have proper housing. Many of them return from service to struggle on their own with PTSD and lost limbs. Among them have been such well-known figures as Lt-General Roméo Dallaire who commanded forces in Rwanda and wrote a book about his struggles with PTSD.
Veterans Affairs is running a Canada Remembers Program to educate the public about the sacrifices and achievements of our military and to help preserve their legacy for future generations. It’s worth checking out this week.
Veterans Week is a good opportunity to do more at the local level to recognize, remember and assist former and current military personnel for their service. Let us not forget them.
