“Most in your arena see soldiers as part of the “SYSTEM” ‘soldier’ or ‘troops’ are words often used in the media in times of turmoil……only during this time of year do we, as a nation, take a step back and reflect on the sacrifice of the common man. The common man, who like me, has done for our ability to be free to speak out when we choose to….Our right to question things freely.
But sadly, it is often one of those blessings most have come to feel was a birthright… and not something that was fought for by young men who volunteered and came as close to hell any mortal wishes to be…..but if they did not, we would be in a different world now.
It’s about remembering the ‘common man’… not “THE MAN”
~ Cpl. Walker 3RCR Mike/Para Coy retired 2002
Cpl. Walker is a friend of mine, and he is one of our modern veterans in Canada. I’ve seen his photos of his time overseas and .. it is something we all need to remember is happening with our young men and women, every day. Whether you agree or not, I will continue to support the choices of the men and women who serve our country.
It is, indeed, a selfless act of bravery, and of service.
He wanted to include this quote with his thoughts.
IT IS THE SOLDIER
It is the Soldier, not the minister Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
©Copyright 1970, 2005 by Charles M. Province
Westcoast Views with Laila Yuile 
This is an extremely tough one to field on so many levels
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Remembrance Day celebrates sacrifice, not the fight. It isn’t about militarism, but rather about the heroics of standing up and putting your life on the line. Freedom, equality, justice, liberty all need to be defended. It isn’t always easy to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong but it should always be easy to say thank you to the soldiers who stand on guard.
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The veterans have stood on guard for us, now it is about time we stood up & on guard for them. The veterans deserve to be treated with dignity & respect..
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I agree.I opened my emails this morning to find a few angry ones because ” Canada has no right being over there” and ” The US shouldnt be over there” etc etc…..Apparently there is so much anger of the act of war they’ve laid the blame on the individual soldiers now too. Wrong wrong wrong.
David, you’ve said it best. I will always honour the sacrifice, the service. We need to remember the past.
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IT IS THE SOLDIER.
If ever there were seven statements that should be taught in our schools these are the ones.
Never read these before. Very profound and straight forward.
A lesson for all of us. Thanks for informing us Laila.
Walt
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The thanks belongs to my friend Jason. I asked him yesterday if he would like to share his thoughts for this day,and this all came from him.I wanted to post his pic, but he asked that I use this image instead. And since I do have many readers who are stationed overseas right now, they will all be reading your thoughts on this most important day. 🙂
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War is hell, ugly, brutal, deadly, and very sad. We see our Veterans with tears in their eyes. They remember their fallen buddies, every day of their lives.
I feel angry at how unfair our Canadian military was shafted in WW11. The Canadians did all the dirty work in Italy. 26 miles from Rome. The Canadians were ordered to halt. The Americans raced to raced to Rome, and took the glory. The Canadians liberated Holland. Canada didn’t so much as, get an invitation to the Liberation ceremony. Our Canadian boys were shot and blown to bits, and got no recognition for their sacrifice and efforts. The citizens of Holland certainly know, just who liberated them. They have never forgotten our boys. I doubt they will ever forget them.
In the Korean war, our soldiers excelled again. This time, they did get recognition. Canadians were given a Presidential citation, from the President of the U.S.
WW1, I can’t imagine how they found the courage over the top, right into death staring them in the face. PTSD was not understood back then. Soldiers were court marshaled or shot, as cowards. Not only did they die on the battlefields. They died of gangrene and flu. There was no penicillin back then. WW1 and WW11, PTSD was called shell shock or battle fatigue. The implications weren’t understood.
In Afghanistan, war was a nightmare. The Afghan people were our soldiers friends by day and then, would kill them at night. Horrific stress. Who is their friend? Who was their foe?
When we hear of how Harper disrespects our Veterans of yesteryear and to-day. That makes Canadians boil. What kind of a monster, refuses to take care of our young and old Veterans? Send them to war, and then refuses to look after them? What offends our Veterans, offends us. I believe Harper timed his trip, to escape Remembrance Day in Canada. Good thing he wasn’t here, he wasn’t welcome anyway.
Each time I think, Harper couldn’t possibly go any lower, he does. I would just love to see Harper, under heavy fire and shelling on a battlefield. Now Harper is a Traitor, selling us out to a Communist country.. Harper should be court marshaled for Treason. He should be thrown in the brig, where he rightly belongs.
We will always respect their sacrifice, and remember our fallen. It’s our turn to fight for our Veterans rights. Both our young Vets, and for our old Vets. They fully deserve to be cared for.
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I didn’t realize this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DsJ8IhWO7w&feature=player_embedded
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IT IS THE SOLDIER by virtue of its exclusivity is a false statement in its entirety. While it is true that soldiers make sacrifices, most wars have nothing to do with preserving democracy or fostering it, and most soldiers are unfairly sacrificed. Moreover, millions of courageous civilians (including people in the occupations listed in the poem, if it can be called that) risk their necks for liberty. Every day, civilians (including every one of the occupations listed in that poem, if it can be called that) are arrested, tortured and murdered by dictatorships that want to silence their citizens. One notable example is Chilean poet Victor Jara, who was murdered by the Pinochet regime. It is absurd for anyone to claim that our democracy only exists because of the state’s military and armed forces. Under the Harper regime the exact opposite is happening in this country.
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And what makes the world go round is differing views and points.
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an interesting statement i heard a few years ago,
” wars are fought by the young men , while the old men talk…..”
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I am honored you used my Graphic for your page!
Donald Candie C.D. Cpl. Retired
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And I am honoured you’ve stopped by. Thank you for your service to our country Donald.
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When it comes to war, I’m always on the side of the working classes, who fight the wars; I’m never on the side of the ruling classes that start wars.
That’s all I’ll say for today, since this is, internationally, a day of armistice and folks are grieving. But, it shouldn’t give them the right to trumpet righteousness about war.
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