Like most people who went through the school system in the late 70s and 80s, Canadian history was presented poorly if at all. I had to go to University to even begin to learn things that should have been part of the curriculum in the public school system. Even so, I never actually took a course in Canadian history while pursuing my degrees - my exposure came through supplementary readings I was doing for political science papers. There is still much more that I know I should be researching and reading just to get an appreciation of the amazing history of our country. The problem is finding authoritative, unadulterated sources. Historical revisionism is running rampant, and the problem with trying to contextualize events from the past through the current lenses of political correctness is that they become distorted and twisted as a result of that misguided intellectual exercise.
That being said, I spent part of the morning watching the coverage of the rededication ceremony for the memorial at Vimy Ridge. For many people under the age of 60, who didn't necessarily have family who served in either war, Vimy, Ypres, Somme and Passchendaele, are words you saw on the local War Memorial if you ever gave them any thought at all. I suppose the first time I ever gave it much thought was photographing a local War Memorial for a school yearbook Remembrance feature. The sky was grey, and a light snow was falling when I captured the shot. The memorial itself was simple - a young soldier, the butt of his rifle resting on a pile of sandbags, looking off into the distance - and it probably remains one of the best pictures I have ever taken in my life. But I digress.
Today is an important date in Canadian history, and I'm afraid it will go largely unmarked by the country at large. There will be those who will reflect on what it means, and those who will somehow politicize it in ways that would horrify those brave men who gave their lives for King and Country. For myself, I'll just take this time to give a heartfelt 'Thank You' to those who have served, and who continue to serve, for fighting for the ideals that have allowed me the freedom to express myself and to follow opportunities as I choose.
2 comments:
I so wanted to be a military history professor but my parents made me be a damn lawyer.
Canadian soldiers and sailors have always done their part but the even pukier liberals from north of the border want to erase those contributions from your collective memories.
Thanks for fighting that culture crime.
The quartet of major English speaking nations (US, Canada, the UK and Australia)remain the only real bulkward against the savagery of global anarchy. We need to stick together.
It's a true testament that in the old days 3000 soldiers was a victory.
Imagine Layton if the Battle was being fought now.
Canada shined the most in WWI, especially in the 1918 battles.
If you read books on Canadas 100 days where we attacked continuously, It's an awesome heritage. One trudeaupia want's to cover up.
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