We Remember

We attended the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph at Edmonton's City Hall. This is where Wesley's unit, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment, parades for Remembrance Day. You can see my other pictures from the ceremony HERE.

Canada at War

From WWI to Present Day Afghanistan - this video is a tribute to all Canadian soldiers for Remembrance Day 2010 (via Jonathan Wagner)

Canada Remembers

Veterans Week 2010 official vignette

Are You Wearing Your Poppy?

For Our Troops and their Families

Earlier this month I blogged about Dennis LeClair's "To Our Canadian Troops" commemorative album, all proceeds of which go directly to The Military Families Fund (created in 2007 by General Rick Hillier), a fund that assists military families faced with problems that result directly from service. This fund continues to grow through the generous contributions of Canadians whose continued support of our Canadian Forces members and their families is very much appreciated. 

Purchases can be made at a CANEX, on LeClair's website, or on iTunes. If you would prefer to purchase your CD over the telephone you can do so by calling 250-860-4912. 

"The Effect was Instantaneous..."

Ninety four years ago today, on a bleak battlefield known as the Somme, along a forsaken line known as the Regina Trench, a young boy of only 20 years old would spend ten precious minutes of his life displaying such courage that - unbeknown to him - it would reach years into the future to make such an impression on me that my heart would burst when I first learned of it.

I was a young Canadian Scottish Regimental cadet (2422 RCACC) learning regimental history when I first heard the name Piper James Richardson. In my tender youth, for me, his Victoria Cross was a matter of legend and pride and I wanted to be as brave as I imagined him to be. It wasn't until my basic training that I would learn the harrowing details of the amazing story that earned him that honour and it wasn't until I was much older that I came to realize just how spectacularly terrifying that whole time must have been for him.

The setting of the story of those ten minutes is the battle for the Ancre Heights. Piper Richardson (who had joined the 16th Infantry Battalion Canadian Scottish as a private and piper) was part of an advancing company that had been pinned down in a storm of enemy fire - machine guns, rifle fire and artillery. Heavy casualties, the death of the company commander and the mounting gravity of the situation had taken the momentum out of the attack. Just when it all hope seemed lost Piper Richardson asked his sergeant-major if he could pipe them over the top. Yes, he volunteered.

For what must have been the most amazing ten minutes in Somme, Piper Richardson, fully exposed, marched back and forth just outside the enemy wire playing his bagpipes for his troops. Not a single enemy bullet struck him. The citation to his VC decoration would later read "The effect was instantaneous. Inspired by his splendid example, the company rushed the wire with such fury and determination that the obstacle was overcome and the position captured.”

Instantaneous indeed - and all these years later my heart still fills with wonder, inspiration, pride, amazement, thankfulness and a tiny bit of sheer terror when I think of Piper Richardson's courage in those ten minutes.

John Wayne once said "Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." I don't know of a finer example of "saddling up anyway."

NOTE: In honour of this anniversary the new Pipes of War website launches today.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far

To Our Canadian Troops by Dennis Leclair

When I was at the CANEX yesterday I noticed a a small card advertising a commemorative CD being sold as a fundraiser to support the Canadian Military Families Fund. I found the card in my pocket today, looked up the song and enjoyed it enough that I wanted to share it here.

If you like information on how to purchase the CD you can visit LeClair's Website HERE.

The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier

When I first visited Ottawa (about nine years ago) I had an entire day to myself. I was staying with a friend who lived along the Rideau Canal but he had to work so I set off to explore Ottawa, walking along the Canal (beautiful, btw) until I eventually got to the end by the Locks and then headed up towards the Parliament Buildings. Between that point and where I was going I came across the National War Memorial and of course, the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, who had been buried there just the year before (repatriated home from the Vimy Ridge burial grounds in France).

When I came upon the Tomb I was ill prepared for the feelings that overcame me; feelings that ran the gamut from sorrow to thankfulness and finally to brotherhood and kinship. I sat beside his Tomb for a couple of hours, just sitting and thinking about who this person must have been and what his life meant - both at the time he gave it for our country and now, to me (to all of us really).

I could not visit Ottawa without visiting this old soldier again. He may not have a name and we may not ever really know who he is but we do know that he gave us everything in the hopes that we would continue to live free in this world as Canadians. I owe him everything.

Brave Battalion

Spent the afternoon at the Canadian War Museum today. I found it profoundly moving. I didn't have time to find all of the medal sets there from my unit (16th Battalion, Canadian Scottish) and since Piper Richardson's, Pte Milne's and LCol Peck's VC are there I might go back tomorrow.

EDIT: I did go back to the museum but was disappointed to discover that the medal sets, while part of the collection, were not on display. They were actually locked in the vault which apparently needs two people with two different keys to open (similar to a nuclear launch). This intrigued me to learn but the day I went back the other person had called in sick so there was no way for me to view these medals. I will have to make an appointment to come back next time I am in Ottawa.

The Right of Way

CFB Wainwright

We spent last weekend in the bustling Alberta town of Wainwright, there to visit Wes for his birthday, which conveniently coincided with a leave pass weekend. Before we went we had compiled a list of "attractions" in Wainwright and the surrounding area, all of which we finished/saw/did on the first day. The biggest attraction for sure was the Trestle Bridge (literally) and the town's Buffalo statue was a close second.

It was great to see Wesley and hear his stories. He has grown up so much in just two short weeks. It was good also to see the base again, although a lot has changed since my time there - for example they now have fancy barracks to sleep in (we slept in these tiny "H Shacks" with shared showers... ah, memories).

You can see the pictures of the Wainwright trip HERE.

Wainwright Birthday

Happy Birthday Wesley

We went to Wainwright to celebrate Wesley's 17th birthday with him. This picture was taken at dinner in a place called the Honeypot. He seems much older than 17 years old now, he's grown up a lot in the past two weeks and it suits him. We had a lot of fun together and on Saturday we went to all of the Wainwright "attractions." Soon there will be more pictures on Flickr.

Be All You Can Be

Wesley had some free time for the first time in a week yesterday and he was able to call home. He's doing well, enjoying the challenges and the camaraderie and didn't even complain too much about the extreme heat that Wainwright seems to get in the days. He describes training with technology that I've never seen and I am excited for him (and maybe even a tiny bit jealous).

It was really great to hear his voice. It was a chance to connect with him telling me his stories and me describing what has happened here in his absence. But what really struck me was his voice - and how it had changed. He sounds like a man. He is a man and I'm proud of him!

Fears No Foe

Family picture June 6th 2010

Our family commemorated the 66th Anniversary of D Day in a special way today - we attended Wesley's Graduation Parade at the Battle School that marked the end of his 4 month long Basic Military Qualification course.

Graduation Parade

Wes has been participating in a program that offered a Co-Op opportunity for high school students to complete their first stage of military training during school hours and receive credits for work experience towards their diploma. So he attended school in the morning and BMQ in the afternoon and also take two of his courses as correspondence on his own time - nothing short of a challenge, but he was focused on what he wanted to do and he got it done.

Wes now starts parading with his unit, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, this Wednesday. I know he is excited. I hope he is proud of what he has achieved because I know we sure are.

Congrats Private Smyth!

Enrollment with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment

Last year, on his 16th birthday (in July) Wesley submitted his application to the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve. After a five month recruitment process (that included exams, training, physical testing and a few minor paperwork glitches) he was accepted!

We are very proud of him and his efforts. This is what he has wanted to do since he was a small boy, but more importantly a year and a half ago he asked what it would take for me to give permission for him to enlist at 16 - I told him and he worked tirelessly towards achieving what I had outlined for him. This is a result of that focus, hard work and determination.

The Story of an Idea

We watched this short video tonight at our Red Cross Disaster Management course. It describes the origin story of the Red Cross movement and the birth of the Geneva Conventions.

When I was in the army we studied military law, the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law - basically the rules of war - from a vastly different (but surprisingly similar) viewpoint than I study it now. Human nature has demanded this body of law evolve (sometimes in leaps and bounds, like after the second world war) because of the new and interesting ways we increasingly find to hurt each other... There is an inherent inhumanity within our humanity, one can not exist meaningfully without the other.

This is both a familiar and unfamiliar place for me. Perhaps it is only my perceived role that has changed within this scenario - to go from a soldier actor to a neutral actor, but it feels like I have come full circle.

Albert Schweitzer (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize) said "When Humanity finally learns to control the elements, when the winds will be quiet and the earth can not be torn apart, when there will be no loneliness, no destitution, no war; when the last hungry man, woman or child is fed, only then will there be no need for the Red Cross."

Humanity. Inhumanity. My struggle has always been to find the appropriate balance. You can't have one without the other.

The Awesome Responsibility of Citizenship

"To you from failing hands we throw The torch;
be yours to hold it high."

From Vimy To Kandahar, for everything you do...
Thank You.

The Children of Petawawa

Having both been a soldier and a parent in my life the stories from CFB Petawawa, where it is reported that many children are "on the brink of suicide," have weighed heavy on my heart.

A Canadian childhood is supposed to be full of fun and carefree times, an opportunity to explore your world in safety and discover who it is you would like to be when you grow up. For the children of Petawawa, where many of Canada's Afgahnistan related deaths and injuries have had the largest impact, stress, anxiety and fear is more dominant. Their flags at school fly at half mast often, once for 49 days straight!

It's been reported in the news that the children are afraid of being called out of class in case they find out their mother or father are dead and that others hide in their homes with all the lights off, reasoning that if they can't be found when a military official comes to tell them their parents are dead, it won't be true.

We expect our soldiers to be brave (and they are), but thats a little too much to ask of their kids. These children need help - and I am happy that it appears they will now be getting it - but I am at a loss to understand why the support took so long to get into place when we knew this would happen.

Part of supporting our troops is making sure we look after their children and keep them safe until they return. It's the least we can do.

"I do what I do so you can do what you do''

"Quick as a flash, she punctured my professorial balloon," he recalled, of her response to his argument that education was the key to alleviating oppression, an army of teachers and community workers preferable to an army of troops.

The captain had retorted: "You can't do that when the bad guys run things, Dad, they just shoot you. You have to have peace and good government in order for the rest to happen. I do what I do so you can do what you do."

Yesterday, the father conceded that the daughter knew best.

Rest In Peace, Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard.

Witness the Birth of a Nation

Private William Johnstone Milne, of the 16th Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment (Canadian Expeditionary Force) was awarded the Victoria Cross (posthumously) for gallantry during the Battle of Vimy Ridge many years ago. Pte Milne was only 24 years old when he was killed on that fateful Easter Monday, April 9th, 1917.

The whereabouts of his grave still remain unknown.

He was born on Dec 21st 1892 far away from here, in Cambusnethan (Lanarkshire) Scotland. He moved with his family when they emigrated to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - where he would ultimately enlist and start the journey that ensured for him a place in my heart.

Pte Milne’s VC Citation describes his last moments as thus: "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in attack. On approaching the first objective, Pte. Milne observed an enemy machine gun firing on our advancing troops. Crawling on hands and knees, he succeeded in reaching the gun, killing the crew with bombs, and capturing the gun. On the line re-forming, he again located a machine gun in the support line, and stalking this second gun as he had done the first, he succeeded in putting the crew out of action and capturing the gun. His wonderful bravery and resource on these two occasions undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his comrades. Pte. Milne was killed shortly after capturing the second gun."

Among others, my unit proudly carries on our regimental colours the battle honour 'Vimy, 1917' and my thoughts (through out the years) have often come to rest with Pte Milne in particular – almost as if he were known to us; as a hero, a mentor, a friend, a brother and a comrade – we felt his spirit with us as we all pondered at some time or another what we would do if the time ever came to learn what we were made of. And we knew in our hearts that we would do the same, for as long as we were able, for as long as we were still aware of our brothers following us, for as long as love for Canada still lived in our hearts.

Because he had done so first.

It’s a courage I pray no one has ever to muster again, but one that I know with a great deal of conviction resides within the core spirit of our nation, ready to be called upon.

"It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought then ... that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation."
- Brigadier General Alexander Ross
on watching the attack on Vimy

Game Diva: WINNER! I have both technique AND power



"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."
--Jack Handy Deep Thoughts

Sigh. As lots of you know today, being Sunday, is the day Duncan and I ritually attend our neighbourhood coffee shop to share breakfast and the news. I had tried (really I did) to not pay any attention to the war at all yesterday (and it was a gallant effort – we played video games and shopped and talked about anything but Americans and Iraq). But it was inescapable this morning and I have a reawakened awareness of the reality at hand.

The headlines sure make it hard to ignore a war. Or atleast this war. Some of them even seem to comically exhibit surprise at what I would have thought no brainers…. like “Coalition forces meet Resistance.” Well, they are invading a country, afterall....

I had to laugh a bit at the news reporting that General Tommy Franks had stated that “he didn’t know where Saddam was.” I guess if he did, this would all be over heh?

To read the paper you might be led to believe the world has gone mad. Burning oil fields, dead Iraqi babies, Muslims upset everywhere (the US has a way of making friends) , stupid “accidents,” Soldier attacks own troops, Turkey capitalizes on Iraq situation (The Kurds wont have to worry about Saddam) , an american Patriot Missile shoots down British Plane, helicopter crashes, American Soldiers missing , Ambushes and fake surrenders, POW’s.....

Its not going to be an easy fight. I say that partially from my intuition and from my own previous six years of military training. I don’t doubt that the US will be able to “win” the fight for Baghdad, but I don’t think it will be the cake walk they expected (Peace through superior fire power?). They are going to have to want Baghdad more then the people who live there, more then the people who fight to defend their families, and more then the people who have everything, and nothing, to lose. These are a people who are used to war, used to having little or no resources, who are survivors. They are a people whose religion assures thema place in heaven if they die in this cause. I am not confident that the American's understand their enemy.