Canada Remembers Times - 2008 Edition - Page 4
Current Support in Afghanistan
Canadian Forces members help school children in Afghanistan by providing resources and materials.
Photo: Canadian Forces Combat Camera AR2005-A01-370
Canada has built an international reputation for serving in peace operations over the years. Our country's efforts in Afghanistan over the past seven years are an evolution of this dedication that sees us serving in a place where the fighting never stopped. Canadians are there to help the people of Afghanistan recover from decades of conflict and build a stable country.
Canadian Forces members are some of the best-trained in the world. They are rigorously prepared before deploying to Afghanistan. But it is a place where the danger never really relents, especially when they have had to leave the relative protection of their camps to go "outside the wire" to patrol, battle the Taliban, work with the local people or lead convoys-while constantly on guard for suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices and ambushes.
The environment alone can pose a great risk. Afghanistan is a harsh land of mountains and deserts with choking dust everywhere and temperatures commonly topping 50 ºC. Just keeping hydrated can be a matter of life and death. The conditions experienced by the Veterans of our efforts in Afghanistan have been unique but Canadians have a long tradition of enduring the hardships of service. From the muddy trenches of the First World War to the freezing cold of aircraft high over Europe in the Second World War, to being lashed by wind and water on the seas of the Far East during the Korean War, Canadians have always looked after their comrades.
© Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS)
Dozens of Canadians have died since they first arrived in Afghanistan in late 2001. Canadian Veterans have paid a great price for their service there, even if they have avoided the scars of physical injury. Just being away from home for a six month or one-year rotation in the country is difficult and families must deal with the day-to-day stress of not knowing if their loved ones are safe. The emotional strain of experiencing such violence can take a heavy psychological toll on these Veterans that can last a lifetime. Despite these difficulties, Canadian Forces members have willingly put their lives on the line every day. They have done so for the same reason Canadians did in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and in dozens of international peace efforts around the world-to uphold the Canadian values of truth, justice, peace, freedom and knowledge and to protect those who need help the most.
Helping Out Closer to Home ...
Canadian Forces members helping to clean up in Quebec after the 1998 ice storm.
Photo: Department of National Defence
Canadian Forces members have not only helped protect our country and defend peace and freedom around the world, they have also provided aid in domestic and international disaster relief operations. For example, during major natural disasters like the 1997 Red River floods in Manitoba, the ice storm of 1998 in Quebec and Ontario and Hurricane Katrina in the southern United States in 2005, Canadian Forces members answered the call to help those in need.
Sum 41 band members in Africa with Chuck Pelletier.
Photo: War Child Canada
Sum 41, the Canadian rock band, went to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2004 on a tour to raise awareness of humanitarian issues in the impoverished African country. While the band was there, the country's fragile peace was shattered and the four musicians suddenly found themselves in the middle of armed fighting. A United Nations employee (and former Canadian Forces member) named Chuck Pelletier took them under his wing and helped keep them safe until they could leave the country. To salute the man who risk his life to help them, Sum 41 named their next album Chuck in his honour.
Unique Peacekeeping Monument
Canadian Peacekeeping Monument. August 9 is National Peacekeepers' Day.
Photo: Department of National Defence / IS2002-9012C
A monument is one of the most visible ways to show that we remember and honour the sacrifices and achievements of Canadians in service. Canada, like other countries, has many war memorials. In addition there is a unique monument in Ottawa. The Canadian Peacekeeping Monument is the only national monument in the world that specifically honours those who have served in international peace operations.
There are many Canadian war monuments and memorials located across our country and in other countries. Go to the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site to learn more about them.
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