Military Can't Stand On Guard For Free

[Acorn]

You see, the recruiting motto's are short I agree, but they at least sound somewhat intriguing or fun. It's not a job - It's an adventure! Not... "Blah blah blah.."...

How is "matter of self respect" suppose to motivate people to want to spend money on the military, really... I mean c'mon, our soldiers dying because of garbage equipment and people still don't care. I don't see any public outcry to help our soldiers, do you? Gee, where was it on the news that there were public protests to increase our military spending and the slow/stop the degredation of our forces? Ummm, that's right. There weren't any protests about it. But you can bet your butt there would be protests for just about anything else related to taxes or healthcare...

Anyway, I do see both your points about slogans, motto's etc. Just don't think any of that will cut it for increased spending since it hasn't for the last 20-30 years realistically. We can talk all we want about what will catch people's attention or not but the facts speak for themselves!

All I know for sure is that when I am sworn in, I will do my best with what I am given and listen to my superior officers and NCM's to the best of my ability. Hopefully if every new guy does this, we'll still keep our exceptional fighting force regardless of what happens over the course of the next 10 yrs or so...

Joe

Point one: soldiers are not "dying because of garbage equipment." That's the media line, and it may serve to our benefit for a while, but it's not true.
Point two, the one a_majoor made, and you missed: the "people" are best informed by an executive summary and a simple explanation. It works for General Officers, and it works for the common man. Give him a concept that is easy to understand, and show some leadership in achieving it, and he will happily hang his hat on it(or pay his taxes for it). Look at health care - the most propagandized concept in Canadian history, and a complete Potemkin Village. Half the effort that has been put into making health care the definition of being Canadian would have given us a military without peer for our size.

We have been spinning the "peacekeeping" myth for so long it has become second nature for the Canadian people to refer to soldiers as "peacekeepers." Some of us soldiers have even bought that handful of magic beans. I would offer that "Peacekeeping" as we understand it, is a blip in our history. But I digress.

Back to simplicity, I think "a matter of self respect" is simple, to the point and with good leadership, it would resonate with the Canadian people. It's not a recruiting slogan, but one to get the people behind the effort to fund, man and equip the CF to a level commensurate with our size and wealth. We have a choice: we han be a huge Luxembourg, or an enormous Netherlands.

Joe, I detect in your posts to this topic a certain disdain for the "flat-faced civvy." Get over it. The average citizen doens't know much about what you do, but that doesn't mean he deserves your disrespect. Your rants may produce nods of agreement from some of the Army.ca folks, but they'll just produce a "get stuffed" from the politicians and people we are obliged to serve. Note that last bit: WE are OBLIGED to SERVE.

Acorn

 

[Kirkhill]

Acorn, you made mention of the Netherlands as a potential benchmark.  Maybe that could be coupled with "its a matter of self respect" as the theme for a campaign.

A similar strategy worked years ago.  The older members on this board will no doubt remember the 70 year old Swede.

In the 70's the government wanted to get Canadian's more active and launched the Participaction campaign.  The hook was that Canadians weren't as fit as the average 70 year old Swede.  It was an effective campaign and ran for about 10 years if I remember rightly.  My wife is just reminding me that there were also twinning programmes between Canadian and Swedish cities. 

A similar Canadian/Dutch twinning would be a natural.  The Dutch could teach Canadians why the Dutch are so appreciative of what our veterans did for them and why they still feel that a solid military presence is necessary.

Och, now the whisky's talking.

Cheers.

 

[bossi]

Under the heading of "Wonders Never Cease" ...
The PM's spin doctors have apparently advised him to step up to the plate and say something, as opposed to ignoring it and hoping it will go away ...
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...037&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037

PM accepts some blame for underfunded military
FROM CANADIAN PRESS, Nov. 8, 2004. 07:45 PM


CFB VALCARTIER, Que. â ” Prime Minister Paul Martin took some of the blame for the underfunded state of Canada's military today as he visited with troops near Quebec City.

Martin had just finished lunch with a group of soldiers at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier when he promised to invest more money in troops and equipment.

"We have to turn around our dwindling investment which, I admit, I have a certain responsibility for causing," said Martin, who was finance minister in the 1990s when the military's budget was cut and troop levels dropped.

"Your superiors here are just too polite to say it," he added, causing scattered laughter among the soldiers.

On several occasions this fall, Martin has promised to boost military spending but hasn't offered details.

Today, Martin repeated old commitments to buy helicopters, supply ships and mobile gun systems and enlist 5,000 new soldiers for the Canadian Forces and 3,000 extra reservists.

During Martin's term as finance minister, the defence budget fell by 23 per cent between 1993 and 1998 followed by small increases through 2001, according to a parliamentary report.

"It's been 20 years that Canada has not invested enough into our military capacity," Martin said. "It's not a question of political parties, it was the same thing with the two governments that preceded me."

Martin made sweeping promises to fight terrorism and poverty and boost security in trouble spots around the world, saying troops like the soldiers at Valcartier will play a vital role.

The prime minister will head to Haiti on Sunday to remind world leaders of the island nation's need for assistance. The visit comes near the end of a year that has seen Haiti racked by political chaos and natural disaster.

"Canada has an important responsibility, and I want to see what is going on and to meet with Haitian leaders," Martin said.

Five hundred Canadian soldiers were deployed to the island from March until August to help calm unrest after Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed as president. Canada now has 100 police in Haiti.

Canada has promised $20 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti and another $180 million over two years for reconstruction and development.

Martin said Canada also has a responsibility to help keep peace and protect refugees in strife-torn countries in Africa.

Canada has spent $20 million to train and equip African peacekeepers for the Darfur region of Sudan, where civil war has killed 70,000 people since March.

"The Africans have said they want to put together the peacekeeping forces," Martin said.

"They feel in terms of understanding the culture of Africa, peacekeepers should come from Africa. I have said we understand that, but we feel countries like Canada can make a great contribution like training the trainers."

 

[armyrules]

I just think that the government uses the military or gives them recognition when it suits them or when it makes them look good in a situation

 

[Acorn]

I am a 42 year-old canadian in the body of a 70 year-old Swede.

I remember the Participaction adverts.

Acorn

 

[a_majoor]

I think I'd rather be a 70 year old in the body of a 42 year old Swede...

 

[Kirkhill]

What's her name?