Monday, November 11, 2024

Today's News: Canada remembers.


The Taking of Vimy Ridge, Easter Monday 1917 by Richard Jack
...Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day. The village of Thélus fell during the second day, as did the crest of the ridge, once the Canadian Corps overran a salient against considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll outside the village of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadians on 12 April. The German 6th Army then retreated to the Oppy–Méricourt line.
Historians attribute the success of the Canadian Corps to technical and tactical innovation, meticulous planning, powerful artillery support and extensive training, as well as the inability of the 6th Army to properly apply the new German defensive doctrine. The battle was the first occasion when the four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together and it was made a symbol of Canadian national achievement and sacrifice. ..
...By nightfall on 12 April 1917, the Canadian Corps was in firm control of the ridge, having suffered 10,602 casualties; 3,598 men had been killed and 7,004 wounded...
Sgt. Gander Indigenous Veterans Day, Nov. 8 Our last soldier killed in Afghanistan: Finally, this: 
The Canadian veteran who posts as Black Cloud Six has written to Pierre Poilievre - Honour, Not Politics, on Remembrance Day A Letter to the Conservative Party of Canada
...I’ve been incredibly dismayed at the politicization of the upcoming 2024 Remembrance Day ceremonies, for which your party bears a significant share of the blame.
Some time ago, your MPs published and shared very widely a complete fabrication concerning a lack of flags at June’s D-Day commemoration. It was demonstrably false, but the accusation was circulated widely on social media and is still present on many CPC feeds. This was the first of repeated attempts to stoke unfounded outrage around veterans' issues.
The latest examples of rage farming have occurred this week. You’ve made huge issues of small changes to prayer services at the upcoming November 11th ceremonies and, much worse, encouraged a pile-on against the staff of a small elementary school in Nova Scotia. The latter was particularly disturbing. The school’s staff made a well-intentioned error in judgment. Their hearts were in the right place. Yet you actively participated in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the school’s staff. Almost as bad, you used veterans and serving members as props in this campaign.
I was absolutely disgusted. Remembrance Day should be a hallowed day where we remember the sacrifices of all who served, not a time to score political gotcha points. Most veterans I know, and I know hundreds, served and fought because we live in a democracy that respects how individuals choose to honour our service — or, indeed, to choose not to.
Frankly, this needs to end. We are about to be faced with a serious challenge from the United States. Donald Trump is no friend of Canada and we are about to see a period of what another writer has called “gangster isolationism” in Washington. Addressing this requires seriousness and integrity - and unity....

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3 comments:

e.a.f. said...

Thank you for the thoughtful post. Yes, we do need to remember. Many 11 Nov. ceremonies talk about the sacrifice Canadians made, but we rarely actually see pictures of it or hear the stories about what lead up to the Day. There ought to be more information provided in history class about all of the two WWs. Why, how, who. As the old saying goes, if we do not learn from history we will repeat it and there are more than a few things about Trump which reminds me of what I heard from adults in the 1950s and 60s--eavesdropping.
During Trump's previous stint as Presidents people were rounded up and placed in camps in the U.S.A. prior to being deported. That is actually what happened in European countries. The Germans and the local police would arrest Jews and others, place them in local camps until they deported them to the concentration camps. While people were waiting in country, they knew what was going to happen. People ought to stop thinking it won't happen to them. It can, it did, and will again. Families will turn each other in, etc. About the in country camps. I do know what they looked like, one of the parental units has a picture which was taken of their cousins in one. They knew they would die so they decided to get married.

Think long and hard before you embrace the maga religion. It can come back and bite you in the ass. As they say, if they will do it with you, they will do it to you.

Again thank you for the post. Its a good history lesson

5:44 pm
Trailblazer said...

I hate to be a party pooper.
We now have Remembrance Day which is now a 'celebration' of the victorious particularly of two world wars.
WE have forgotten the Remembrance Day "was' a day of commemoration of the ending of hostilities!!
I remember standing with my dad at a remembrance day gathering where he , a WWII vet and others who were WWI vets stood together and said "Never again".
Lest we forget???
TB

7:44 pm
Cathie from Canada said...

I also think of Remembrance Day as a commitment that we will "do it again" if it is necessary, in the defense of freedom - it has been 23 years now since 911 and we were asked by NATO to go to war in Afghanistan, but Canadians could be asked by NATO to do this again, perhaps in Europe. Also, of course, we don't know what will happen now in the United States.

11:31 pm

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