Afghanistan conflict has many names depending on who is discussing it and what government department they represent.
I did a quick google search ( yes actually used google) and found the various names for the Afghanistan conflict.
Afghanistan Mission
Afghanistan Conflict
All above names used by various Government of Canada agencies. None called it a war. Except for one website
www.canada.ca/en/army/services/line-sight/articles/2023/11/the-canadian-army-in-afghanistan.html
They use the word WAR in the first sentence of the the first paragraph. ( makes me wonder, guess there is no policy or funding attached to the web site.)
( 10 minute search)
The Media called it the War on Terror. But we all know the Media cannot even call a piece of military equipment by the right name, everything is a tank. So they will name anything incorrectly if it makes a bigger head line.
The Royal Legion of Canada calls it a war, in their magazine 06 March 2024, but some small town legions and their members do not consider the troops veterans. ( maybe my personal take on the reaction of my local legion, I might be biased). Because they did not partake in an official war on paper.
Collins dictionary : A veteran is someone who has served in the
armed forces of their country,
especially during a war.
: A war is a period of fighting or conflict between countries or states.
Reading the definations and using my high school logic and many years of reading Canadian Military history, ( no way an expert) but just a guess.
Canada does not consider it a war, for the following reasons, we did not go there as Canadians more like we went as part of NATO.
NATO not being a country or a state, it cannot declare or make war.
NATO sends troops on missions only if the governments agree to send troops and each country has its own rules and limits that their troops can serve within.
Korea was not a war, but a UN Police Action but it is on most war memorials, I do not see Afghanistan on all memorials.
But my personal opinion is: Canada sent troops to a conflict zone, not to stand between the 2 sides to keep the peace. But instead Canada sent troops to into combat and expected the troops to do soldier stuff, and the government did not expect everyone to come home.
I think the soldiers when they came home were let down by their government, not because of lack of effort upon the troops while over there but the lack of effort of the government to support the troops when they came home. It was not like the Boer, First and Second World War, and Korea where the troops came home as clear winners.
Afghanistan was a war in everything but name. I think the Afghanistan veterans are just as important as the veterans from any other war. Should be treated as a war veteran everyday not just one day a year. ( we will see what happens 40 years from now when our last veterans of Afghanistan are left and how they are treated) This lack of support, has caused so many issues for so many.
I am not veteran of Afghanistan released 1995.
Maybe we need a Veterans' Day, where those who served can stand up and be proud of their service. Remembrance Day is not the day, in my mind it would like being a kid and going to Grandma's funeral in the morning and having your birthday in the afternoon.
Veterans' Day should be a day to celebrate our service as a country. ( but this Canada, and we forget our history and leave it in a corner as if we are almost ashamed of our success ) So it will never happen
