Why we fight dirty, filthy wars
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It was the voice of an aging Canadian veteran, speaking to a newly formed group of former soldiers from a not yet forgotten war.
“They had no choice, they had to go there and fight a dirty, filthy war.”
Dirty, filthy war. Is there any other kind?
The war that the member of the Canadian Legion was referring to was the Vietnam war. The men he was speaking to fought in that war.
There they were, joining together into what their spokesman said at the time was the first ever official group of Vietnam veterans. . . anywhere.
Why would they do this in Canada?
Maybe they felt welcome here.
There was a reason for the timing of this event.
This group of veterans, men in the late 30s to early 40s, was trying to achieve come kind of acceptance so they could at least march with other veterans in the coming Remembrance Day ceremonies.
In part they succeeded; they were allowed to march in the annual Nov. 11 parade, not as a separate group, but included with other people . . . not members of military units . . . who wished to march . . . and pay their respects at the local cenotaph . . . for the first time.
These fellows were ill at ease at having to give their real names and most of them didn’t.
Their ‘leader’ went by the moniker of Dave Crockett.
I’m no expert at recognizing the effects of ‘unseen injuries,’ which have became known as post traumatic stress. In recent years, this nation’s soldiers are seeing their share of the phenomenon.
It was obvious from my brief encounters with those people that most of them had been severely traumatized by their experiences.
And the Vietnam veterans in this story weren’t all Americans — some of them were Canadians, either young men who were living south of the 49th at that terrible time or, in some cases, volunteers. But that’s another story.
I could see from watching those warriors march alongside former brothers-in-arms that the experience was for them the first steps towards the healing they so deserved.
Was Vietnam Canada’s war, too? In a way it was.
Is the current conflict in Afghanistan going to become Canada’s Vietnam? I’ll leave that one open.
As for Afghanistan being the place of a dirty, filthy war, ask the soldiers who hunt for IEDs, the hidden devices that have wreaked havoc, destruction and death among our solders over there. Ask the ones whose job is to hunt down the enemy, the Taliban.
Or think about it the next time the media carries stories, photos and video of soldiers’ repatriations.
Think about the families of solders who are serving . . . I know I did . . . of one mother who fretted about her son’s tour to Afghanistan.
He returned a few months ago, stepping off the plane — at midnight — on Sept. 11, home safely.
Think about your fellow Canadians fighting far away in a foreign land the next time you’ve gone of a trip, having to show your passport three times before boarding an aircraft to fly away and enjoy the freedoms we’ve always cherished.
So why do we fight?
It’s a comment you most likely hear around Remembrance Day, when the thousands who have served this country in the name of freedom are commemorated.
And this time, let all our soldiers march home proudly as defenders of our freedom.
When the Earth moves
That strong-armed regime in Myanmar could take a note from the Chinese this week.
With both Asian nations hit by recent disasters, China apparently is not so proud as to refuse help from the world community.
I guess an earthquake is more humbling than a cyclone.
COMMENTS
Posted by: Bob
Date: May-17-2008
Report as Violation
Posted by: Bryan
Date: May-20-2008
Report as Violation
Posted by: Bob
Date: May-21-2008
Report as Violation
