I don't know when he joined the reserves, but this picture says that he was at the very least dating my mother when he was already in them; that would be in the late 1950s. The photo was taken at my grandparents; the dresser and bed are mine today. I know he sailed on the Canadian Great Lakes for training and was proud to be part of the Canadian Military. This was also one of the things that got him excommunicated from his people. (You know a person is serious when he takes action that has serious consequences for him and his future!)
Canada has a military history - we made honourable contributions to both the First and Second World Wars. We are known for establishing the UN Peacekeeping and have participating in many peacekeeping missions throughout the world. One such best-known endeavour was the painful story of Romeo D'Allaire during the Rwandan crisis. Sadly, Canada can no longer claim a strong military - funding and support have been slashed and marginalized until our military is now a joke. If something were to happen, either on home soil or abroad, we have little to save ourselves or others.
What's happened to our world? On the one hand, we are on the brink of serious conflict (wars and rumours of wars is not just a quote from the Bible!), both internal and around the globe. Many nations overseas are simmering in violence already, not to mention the Ukrainian / Russia conflict that fills the news. On the other hand, there is a political ideology that is against the military, against the patriarchial, misogynistic systemic incorporation that the military holds, and as the winds of rhetoric shift, so does the value for our military change as well. And it's not like peace and compassion is their message, either! I'm baffled - solutions are not being presented; only more contributions to the problems. And the more anger weaves its destructive tendrils throughout the people and the culture, the more the path becomes one heading to violence. Heading to war. And what then?
I do wish we could resolve conflict by sitting down and working through the differences. But that is not possible. Even between people that know each other, resolution through discussion is something no one practices or understands anymore. It takes something inside the human character, something akin to respect, to desire for solution, to a form of humility and willingness to compromise, that seems to be absent in many. It's easier to point fingers and say 'you're wrong!' and 'cancel him!' than it is to sit and find a solution that both can be happy with and move on. I think in my soul, I am a pacifist. I do not believe in violence. And yet, when up against someone who is determined to force a belief that is about control and a single path, then ... maybe it needs to be considered. Look at Hitler - he would not have been stopped by the suggestion to sit and discuss! The Night of Long Knives in Germany proves that!
Today in Canada is Remembrance Day. This is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Other nations have adopted a version of it for their country (USA - Veteran's Day), as well as the poppy for the universal symbol for remembrance, in part to Canadian John McRae and his poem, In Flander's Fields. Every so often, I hear rumblings about ending Remembrance Day recognition, about the dismantling of the military - because of the statement supporting "forgetting and moving forward", because of the systemic problems woven throughout the military today, because of ... ?? It is my opinion that if this were to happen, we would become like sitting ducks. With no one to protect us or protect the freedoms we hold dear, it's just a matter of time before ... before, you fill in the blank. Dystopian novels are full of what happens to people when something like this happens. They are the real prophets in our world. I wonder what our dystopian novelists are writing today?
So, I honour the history of our military, I honour my father and all those who believe that our freedoms are worthy of protection, regardless of what it takes. Thank you for all you have done; thank you for what you are doing; thank you for the sacrifices you made and continue to make.
Today, at the time just passed (11-11-11 at 11:00) I remember history and am full of gratitude.
In Flander's Fields
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands w throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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