Message to Youth: It’s Our Canada

Heroes Remember

Message to Youth: It’s Our Canada

Transcript

Interviewer: If you could speak to young people, about duty and obligation and service, what would you say to them? It's our country, it belongs to the Canadians, it does not belong to the politicians, it does not belong to any particular group within our society, it's our Canada and it's what we make of it. And as Canadians we are Canadians because we are what we make of ourselves. When we look at the first Gulf War for example, a lot of people said it was over American oil, to me, it had nothing to do with American oil, it was the liberation of the people of Kuwait, which had been invaded, they were being raped and tortured and murdered, by a foreign country. We liberated Kuwait, we the coalition forces, that's what we are as Canadians. To just go out and wage war on somebody just to wage war on somebody, that's not what Canadians do. So for young people, you can make Canada what you wanna make it but it's equally important that you make Canadians what you want Canadians to be. And you have to set you're values, believe in those values, and be willing to fight for them whether it's writing letters or speaking in public or going to war for it. Define your values and fight for your values as a Canadian, and as a country.

Description

Mr. Johnston delivers a message to youth, passing on his belief that we as Canadians are responsible for defending the safety of our nation, and the freedoms for which it stands, in whatever way necessary.

Alonzo Johnston

Mr. Johnston first served with the HSR cadets in Sussex, NB, and joined the regular forces before finishing high school. He joined the air force, but transferred to the navy after his trade as a data processor was closed and contracted out to civilians. In 1981, Mr. Johnston returned to the air force as an air weapons controller, commissioned from navy ranks. After a promotion, Mr. Johnston was posted in Bangor, then Oklahoma with a joint Canadian/American AWACS force. This force was eventually posted in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, where Mr. Johnston served as a mission control commander on Northern Watch and Provide Comfort missions. In 1996, Mr. Johnston was reassigned to North Bay, Ontario, where he remained until his retirement in 2002.

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