I sat in front of the TV tonight watching the repatriation ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Trenton (just a mere 5 minute drive from my house) and even though I'd seen similar scenes before I was moved by what I saw.
Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, of Edmonton and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Montreal died last Saturday when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle close to their troop carrier near the coalition base in Kandahar. Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier were among the officials attending the ceremony.
I am a proud Canadian; and as with all previous ceremonies to mark the return of our fallen Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan; I felt the need to pay my respects in at least some small way. I didn't know these men but I felt the need to be a part of the moment.
As the ceremony wasn't open to the public to attend, it was pointless to drive down to the base. I could have parked outside and watched from across the road, but there really wasn't a need for me to do this thanks to the coverage provided by the media. After the ceremony ended on TV, I did go outside and at the top of my street I could see the procession of police cars, hearses and limo's pass by as they began their journey to Toronto.
The debate over whether or not these scenes of our fallen heroes returning home should be seen has lasted some time and it appears the government has decided to leave the decision to allow media up to the families of the deceased. That seems more than fair. While I like to grieve with the family I also respect their privacy.
The Americans refuse to show the flag draped caskets arriving home from Iraq or wherever their soldiers have been killed for fear that the images will provide a negative view of the war there. Judging by President Bush's approval rating these days, the American people don't need to see them to know it's not worth the price of life to be there.
I support our Canadian troops in their fight against terrorism and the Taliban and I suppose it's better to fight them there than have them blowing buildings up in Toronto or Montreal or attacking our Canadian military bases. So I guess I do know what they are fighting for and agree with it...but it's still sad knowing that these young men and women have to give their lives to get the job done.
What makes me even more sad is knowing that while they are doing this and there are millions of Canadians supporting them, there are probably just as many Canadians who don't even know they're there or care. It truly amazes me when I try to talk to someone about world affairs such as this and they don't have a clue about anything. Ask them what brand of beer they drank on the weekend or how much they've spent on their toys for the cottage and they can tell you that. It disgusts me to know that they take their freedom for granted and could care less about the sacrifices being made by their fellow citizens on their behalf.
The same can be said of our veterans of past wars and battles. Just think what the world would have been like today if those men and women hadn't paid the ultimate sacrifice. A friend of our family is a veteran of World War 2 and although I'd love to hear the stories he has to tell about the experience, I realize how painful it must be to remember that time and his friends who didn't return home. I hope he knows that I appreciate what they did.
This world has and always will be screwed up. As long as there are terrorists, madmen and tyrants...as long as there is greed, religious differences and fanatics there will never be peace in this world. I just don't understand why the world can't get along. Why is it so hard?
No comments:
Post a Comment