military, war, CanadaNovember 11, 2005 5:05 pm

Canada Vietnam Medal As Canada prepares to honor her veterans during Veterans’ Week 2005, the following was posted at their Department of Defence Web site:

“During Veterans’ Week November 5-11, Canadians will pay tribute to those who fought in the two World Wars and the Korean Conflict. Their thoughts will also extend to CF members who died while serving Canada in peacekeeping and peace support operations during the past 50 years.”

Notice anyone missing amongst the veteran honorees? EARL McRAE of “The Ottawa Sun” explains as he reminds us of how Canada is treating her prodigal veterans on this Remembrance Day 2005: “Soldier won’t be attending today’s war memorial. Why? He fought in Vietnam.”

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” –Isaiah 6:8

In 1973, the International Commission of Control and Supervision Vietnam (ICCS) was responsible for securing the armistice that lasted two years from 1973 to 1975, known as Operation Gallant. Canada, a member of the commission, contributed Canadian Forces whose role was to monitor the cease-fire in South Vietnam, according to the Paris Peace Conference, and to arrange the release and exchange of more than 32,000 prisoners of war. **The Canadian Armed Forces won a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in Vietnam. The image here is of the Service Vietnam medal issued by the government of Canada to 253 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Vietnam. This number does not include the thousands of Canadians who served in Vietnam or during the Vietnam era, nor does this figure include the 104 Canadians killed in that war, nor the seven missing in action; not to mention a winner of the Medal of Honor.

The Canadian government believed that because of its membership in ICCS, that Canada had to remain impartial during the Vietnam Conflict. While Canada as a nation was not involved in the fighting, Canadians themselves formed the largest foreign contingent in the U.S. military during the Vietnam era. Although exact numbers are not obtainable, some estimate that between 30,000 and 40,000 served and that 12,000 Canadians actually were in American uniforms in the war zone.

When the Canadian Vietnam veterans returned to their homeland, they were even more unwelcome than here in the United States, where at least returning veterans had access to government resources. Today’s Canadians have been “re-educated” to believe the fictional propaganda that Canada “took a pass on Vietnam”, as was told to them recently by Bob McKeown, a journalist of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. For Canadians to continue to see themselves as the world’s respected nation of “peacekeepers”, they cannot ever acknowledge the sacrifices of their fellow countrymen who fought on the battlefield against the scourge of Communism during the Cold War.

Canada did not “TAKE A PASS ON VIETNAM”! Canada was allied alongside the United States. With the advent of the Internet and Google, Canadians and Hate America Liberals can no longer get away with rewriting Canadian history.

Near the U.S. border there is one memorial, “The North Wall”, at Assumption Park, Windsor, Ontario, overlooking the Detroit River. It honors the 103 Canadians who lost their lives in Vietnam and the seven who went missing in action. It is a fine tribute to those Canadians who served and sacrificed all for their belief in freedom.

The North Wall

Canadian Vets

Canada’s Forgotten Veterans

The Road to Hell - Canadian Forces in Vietnam 1954-1973 (pdf)

Oh Canada, We Stood On Guard for Thee

Canada Took a Pass on Vietnam?

**The Nobel Peace Prize referenced was awarded in 1988, when United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces were awarded THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for all peace-keeping duties up to December 1988.

Europe, France 2:02 pm

Pied Piper Jacques Chirac, the Pied Piper of France, leads the way as “les jeunes hommes” of Western Europe follow his country’s tune, “Les émeutes de Paris”. There are Internet rumors of radical weblogs calling for a massive riot in Brussels on November 12th, 2005.

Sunday, 6 November 2005 ~ Belgium was the first sovereign state to follow the Paris riots with the torching of five cars in Saint-Gilles, Brussels. The police considered it an isolated case, however the next day another five cars were torched in the same area as other vehicles were overturned. Molotov cocktails were tossed at police. Even in rural communities there were car burnings and flame-throwing. On November 8, there were fifteen more acts of car burnings, Molotov-throwing and arson, including the areas of Antwerp, Charleroi, Genk, Ghent and La Louvière. Finally, on November 9th, the police became convinced by evidence that the acts of vandalism were French-inspired. That evening, more than 30 new cases of torched cars and fires were reported. On November 10th, nine people were arrested.

Monday, 7 November 2005 - Germany, a former enemy of France, now is a blind follower, as at least ten vehicles in Berlin, Cologne and Bremen were were set ablaze leading Police to speculate about the “possibility” of copycat acts related to those in France.

Wednesday, November 9th, 2005 - Denmark: A substantial police force had to be deployed to restore order after store-smashings, arsons and attempted torchings recurred.

Sunday, November 6 - Spain: Trash cans and six cars were burned in the city of Seville. On Monday, November 7th, more trash cans, five cars and a motorbike were torched in the same city. Firefighters extinguishing the fires were injured by stones pelted by attackers. The government of Seville, Spain considered it to be an isolated case. Tuesday, November 8th, saw a continuation of the burnings, requiring the city council to impose an information blackout of new incidents to the press. The Spanish acts of vandalism are coordinated.

November 9th ~ Portugal: Two acts of car torching were reported in Lisbon, possibly inspired by the French riots.

November 11th ~ Copenhagen, Denmark:

Faint reverberations of recent French immigrant riots continued in the Danish city of Århus Wednesday night, as teenagers rampaged through its Rosenhøj quarter, setting dustbins on fire, smashing shop windows, and trying to set fire to one store. The district had seen several nights of disturbances last week as young people took to the streets smashing shop windows, hot dog stands, and setting fire to a pre-school and a fast food restaurant.

Although a right-wing Danish leader described them as terrorist acts, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen called them ‘pranks’. Linked at ‘THE DISAPPEARING FRENCH RIOT STORY’ by Michelle Malkin and The Political Teen’s “Open Trackbacks”, Conservative Cat, Hyscience and Wizbang’s Carnival of Trackbacks.