Thanks soldiers......end this peacekeeping nonsense - just my opinion

[theseeker]

i may not be well versed in a lot of things but what i do know and i do want is, for our soliders to be supported by all canadians on every level, wether it be finical, housing, on operations etc.

i personal do not care if they want to call us peackeepers (some feel as if it is saving face), beacuse alot of countrys love canada and our troops for what we have accomplished in the past and the present, so if some people wish to rant and rave and protest  let them, for if not then are we not just as bad as them, did not all the soliders of the past and present fight and die to give them (the poor and lazzy bums that need attention) the freedom to (be stupid and ingnorant) speek their minds.

we as past and serving men/women of the CF know what we were/are traind to do, we know what our job is and how we must carry it out, even if it offends or bothers others. weather we are called PeaceKeepers or peace-makers or soliders, or anything else they may muster up to call us, WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE

you can just ask my wife how angery and upset and the ranting and raving that i do when i hear about people protesting the great job that the men/women of the CF are doing in the service of our country.

:threat: i say give the "war" protesters a ticket to afgan and tell them here you go live their lives not through a TV but for real, and we will see how many change thire minds. :threat:

and please do not get me wrong i strongly agree with many points here........................  


                                                         

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I will write up a new version and if it soldiers and ex soldiers think it is good enough I will send it into as many newspapers as possible. I just think it is rediculous that you guys/women would come to help any canadian at the drop of a hat like the icestorms of quebec or the fires of BC but the population won't give you the time of day to pat you on the back and say " thanks guys, you have our support " it makes me disgusted and I am not even in the military.

What are you talking about? Before you go off half-cocked, stop and think about what you are saying. You're not in the military yet somehow are convinced we don't get any thanks.  When the LdSH left Calgary for Edmonton they got a huge sendoff, including driving all their Leopard tanks down to City Hall as part of a huge Freedom of the City deal and a fond farewell. We had separate parades for 1 Svc Bn and 1 PPCLI too if I remember correctly. And they were leaving.  I see Support Our Troops stickers all over Calgary and we are no longer a garrison city. I've had strangers walk up to me in my Reserve uniform and thank me, and I've never even gone anywhere.  I think the military gets plenty of thanks and it is unseemly to pretend that they don't.  I feel very secure we have the support of the Canadian people.  Certainly people I work with civvie side are always saying so and showing an interest, and they know I'm just a reservist.

We have plenty of support, thanks.  I appreciate that your heart is in the right place, but don't create a problem in the act of trying to fix one you imagine exists.  I think we're doing just fine.

 

[Wookilar]

Do people like us? Sure they do, mostly. Some even remember us bringing them food, putting out the fire around their house or helping to shore up the dike protecting their farm.
I remember the Freedom of the City parade for 1 Svc very clearly (thanks for the reception at the armouries, by the way, that Big Rock tasted mighty fine). But I also remember people being surprised that we had a few thousand troops inside city limits. Until it was announced that we were leaving. Then they were all shocked!
Let's face it, the vast majority of the Canadian public have no bloody idea who we are or what we do. When people are surprised that I actually pay Income Tax, there really is a disconnect somewhere. We've all had the dumb questions, and we've all sighed that deep sigh before trying to explain.
I have always maintained a wide circle of civy friends with my many extra-cirricular activities and it is true that the vast majority of them were not only supportive, but also curious as to what we are all about. But we are small. Our connections are few, outside of our families and personal friends.
We must use the mass communications systems (newspapers, sites like this, even sites like Pike's...well, maybe not her's specifically, but you get the picture, tv, etc.) in order to educate the public better. The government is clearly not doing it and not enough civy's are seeking out the info on their own. Our own Public Affairs are so busy trying to attract more people for the Recruiters that they seem to have forgotten their primary job of being the key communication link between the CF and the Canadian public.
I say, the more the merrier. Especially if the voices speaking out are not members of the CF.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Very well said Michael,

I don't where all of you are getting this idea that the Canadian populace does not like us.  I have spoken to staunch peaceniks that have thanked me for what I have done.

Don't let a bit of anti military reporting allow you to paint all Canadians as anti war.  So before you go on this anti "peacekeepers" crusade, you  better have your agenda sorted out first.  Who are you targeting and why with your letter.

I will say no more as Michael summed it up quite nicely

dileas

tess

 

[vonGarvin]

Tomato, tomatoe.

I prefer "Potato/vodka"

 

[Hockeycaper]

My view on this letter is. I would like to see it published in as many papers as possible. Because I for one am tired of seeing the local reporters in Ottawa interviewing people on the street and asking them, Something to the effect of.... "Do you think we should be in Afgahanistan? " Etc etc.. And the response that is getting aired is.."No, our soldiers are peace keepers and should not be there"......and crap like that. So I believe this letter will get people talking about the subject and perhaps enlighten the civillians who have no friend or family currently serving or who has ever served in the past. Get them ( the general public) to ask questions about soldiers, and learn about what we do.
  Tess, you and I have eaten the same dirt under the blue beret and we both know the dangers on Peace Keeping missions. The general population do love us but I believe do not understand us and what we do. We and our stories of injuries and deaths have been moved form the tenth page of the local news paper to the front page. So I believe we should keep it there on the front page, it's been a long time comming.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

My view on this letter is. I would like to see it published in as many papers as possible. Because I for one am tired of seeing the local reporters in Ottawa interviewing people on the street and asking them, Something to the effect of.... "Do you think we should be in Afgahanistan? " Etc etc.. And the response that is getting aired is.."No, our soldiers are peace keepers and should not be there"......and crap like that. So I believe this letter will get people talking about the subject and perhaps enlighten the civillians who have no friend or family currently serving or who has ever served in the past. Get them ( the general public) to ask questions about soldiers, and learn about what we do.
  Tess, you and I have eaten the same dirt under the blue beret and we both know the dangers on Peace Keeping missions. The general population do love us but I believe do not understand us and what we do. We and our stories of injuries and deaths have been moved form the tenth page of the local news paper to the front page. So I believe we should keep it there on the front page, it's been a long time comming.

No offence, but if you ran a newspaper you wouldn't be talking like this.

SCHOOL TEACHERS DO THE JOB THEY'RE PAID TO DO.

That's not a front page headline.

SOLDIERS DO THE JOB THEY'RE PAID TO DO.

Doesn't seem all that extraordinary to me, either.  Unfortunately, tragedy tends to trump competence.  Nazi Germany was built on empty platitudes, let's not do the same in Canada.

 

[Hockeycaper]

Lets stick to the subject here and not worry about me running a newspaper. As I have stated.. in my opinion..I would like to see it published in as many newspapers as possible if only to start dialogue on the matter. As it seems to be doing here.
  You seem to have lots of views on lots of matters however I don't see any tours listed under your profile. Do the time then you can comment on Peace keeping or peace making tours.

Wow that feels better....Now lets stick to the topic !

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Lets stick to the subject here and not worry about me running a newspaper. As I have stated.. in my opinion..I would like to see it published in as many newspapers as possible if only to start dialogue on the matter. As it seems to be doing here.
  You seem to have lots of views on lots of matters however I don't see any tours listed under your profile. Do the time then you can comment on Peace keeping or peace making tours.

Wow that feels better....Now lets stick to the topic !

The topic is you preaching from the mountaintop about how newspapers have abandoned the Canadian Army and are apparently going to right all the injustices heaped upon us.  Don't be surprised when no one picks up your letter and runs with it. I'm a degree holder in Communications and a published author, that doesn't make me an expert on peacekeeping tours but I do know a thing or two about the medium of newspapers. Been published in them often enough.

If that isn't the topic, what is?

I forgot to comment on how good Tess' piece was.

I'm not saying it is a bad message, I'm saying that you are creating friction where none exists.  Canadian soldiers being injured overseas is reported in the news every time it happens.  You feel slighted that it doesn't make the front page. I thought it usually did, frankly.  Is there a newspaper in Canada that didn't run the story on the axe attack?  They're giving us an inch - several inches - why ask for a mile?

Quiet professionalism has been the hallmark of the Canadian soldier for over a century now. Accolades are given, not requested. We get our due share of praise and have been on an ongoing basis, at least in the papers I've been reading. How many articles have been run lately in the Globe and Mail about the RCMP? They just had their year anniversary of the Mayerthorpe ordeal.  How many articles have profiled their rural patrols and the hard work they do also, day in and day out?  Guys doing their jobs aren't spectacular stories. It's a given.  It's a fact of life that criticism is more common than praise, but its also a fact of life that fluffy news stories don't sell newspapers.

Why post a bunch of stuff about newspapers and then declare that the subject of newspapers is not the topic?

 

[Crown-Loyal]

I do appreciate everyones opinions, especially those from members who have served or a serving in the CF. I might not have been clear on some things, I do beleive the military has praises from the majority of Canadians. As soon as we (public) are put in a position to witness our soldiers in gun fights and coming home in body bags ( Rest in peace brave soldiers) the public  does get upset and angry. Of ocurse no one likes to see this happen but an unfortunate reality is it does happen. I just want the general canadian public to realize that our soldiers in Afghanistan are fighting a battle to help people in another country. Something very selfless and worth while. All these canadians that are barking pull out of the "illegal invasion" and "what is Canada really doing there" or " Canada is becoming more and more imperialistic " need to know what we are doing there.  i follow CF news on the dnd website and watch tv etc to get all the insight and I beleive that we are there to give the people of Afghanistan a chance to live life to the fullest among other things. It just angers me that these poeple who do write into newspapers or talk on tv about us fighting bush's war or "gaining territory" are to naive to realize what is actually going on. I didn't mean to offend any of you, if i did I am sorry. I do realize that the days of great national pride are all but over, and there will always be those who in our own country appose our armed forces but Afghanistan is not a theatre of operation that deserves the amount of "slaps in the face" that it has taken. I could see if we went to Iraq or maybe invaded the Bahamas for something to do on a cold day, but Afghanistan is truely a mission worthy of our Canadian soldiers. The world we live in today is one created by a generation of naive peaceniks. For god sakes if some one attacks a police officer and the officers fights back and hurts the guy the guy will claim police brutality and will probably get an apology from the police force and the government. And the whole deal about having armed skytrain police in Vancouver, WHO WOULD THINK IT WAS A BAD IDEA.....only criminals that have a reason to fear them thats who. The peaceniks will soon have our police weaponless, and our military planting flowers in Quebec. Sorry for the rant but growing up near Vancouver it is disgusting the way most peopel think.

 

[Crown-Loyal]

Hey Crown-Loyal,

I'm in the middle of writing a paper on Canadians in Afghanistan right now. I will hand this in to my prof. next week, you may want to read it, I think I have included relevant issues that pertain to the popular arguments in Canadian Society.

Feel free to make comments on it.

Great essay, very good points, very clear and to the point. I'm no prof but it was good. Thanks for posting that.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Right on you C-L,

Good rant, and I am sure that you are on the right side of the support. I don't attack your beliefs, I question the basis of your argument.  I ask this, who is it that you want to target with your letter??

Tess, you and I have eaten the same dirt under the blue beret and we both know the dangers on Peace Keeping missions.

For those of you that don't know, Cdn. Royal, and I have not only ate the same dirt we made a gourmet meal of it. we were side by side for almost a year, and then served together in the same shite, in the same section in Yugo, One of my closest pals!!  So I admit he speaks the truth...

But I have to say that this thread exhibits what we all feel.  Is it bad that we were under the terms of the U.N and called Peacekeepers?? Hell no..that was the name of what we were.  Is it what we will always be??  hell no we are soldiers... 

Ask any Vet that served in Korea, was he a Peacekeeper?? He served the U.N and fought a war...took him many a year to convince our Government that was what he did.

What about those of us that served after that...Congo, Cypress, Namibia, Cambodia, Golan Heights, Bosnia, Croatia....Were we Soldiers or Peacekeepers??

We were Both...However, I think it is high time that we let people know that Peace and Soldiers can co-exist together, there is no way that one can overtake the other.

As I have said before;

I would like to thank the Post for explaining to Canadians that we who serve are soldiers first, whose actions bring about peace, not "peacekeepers" who act as soldiers.

dileas

tess

OI Benny, stop hogging all the dirt!!!!  I'm hungry.....ain't it time to play Poker billiards???

 

[Hockeycaper]

Hey C-L this is great subjuect and actually gets the attention of alot af people. Also in my view brought out some great points both for and against your letter. I hope this keeps rolling and more people add their view.

Tess, very funny maybe that's why my pants are getting tight...( hogging all the dirt) .It's always time for Poker Pool and cold beer. Any time your in Ottawa look me up ......I'm buying!

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

And isn't it ironic that with the terms Peacekeeping and Peacemaking being misused, the CF have been referred to as conducting a peacekeeping mission in Astan, and an organization refers itself as Christian Peacemakers.

If anything I would hope that a write up in the papers would atleast clarify to the public that there is a noted difference between peacekeeping, peacemaking and war fighting. And peacekeeping is what is usually done when the later two have been conducted.