As a society, we’ve done a good job of passing along to successive generations the stories of the First World War and Second World War. Every Nov. 11, we solemnly reinforce our promise that we will never forget those who fought against fascism and those who never returned home.
But our living connections with those wars are fading. The last known surviving Canadian veteran of the First World War died in 2010. We don’t know how many living Second World War vets are left with us, but it would be a very small number.
And we continue to owe a debt of appreciation and remembrance for Canadian Forces members in more modern but less understood conflicts. Whether in combat or as peacekeepers, they’ve willingly served in the Korean War, the Bosnian War, the Kosovo War, the War in Afghanistan and others.
More than 40,000 Canadian Forces members were deployed in the Balkans in the 1990s and 2000s, 23 of whom were killed.
We bring you the story this week of Assunta Aquino, one surviving veteran who put herself in harm’s way to help rid the Bosnian soil of deadly landmines and other explosives.
This Nov. 11, when you’ve returned home from your local cenotaph, take some time from your day off work and spend it reading about Canadian Forces’ members contributions in these more modern conflicts.
You’ll find the same sense of duty and selflessness we already recognizing on Remembrance Day. And you’ll begin fulfilling the promise that we all must make to them: Never forget.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
