O Canada, We Stood On Guard For Thee

I originally made this post on 9 February 2005 at “Blatherings”. It is repeated here because of new interest in the subject and to remind Canadians of their “other” veterans that they do not include in their upcoming Remembrance Day in November.

O Canada, we stood on guard for thee.

Recently, an American pundit, Ann Coulter, has been ridiculed for believing that there were Canadian troops in Vietnam. Why does she think they were there? Because they were there, as the image above demonstrates. The soldiers in battle proudly posted the ensign of their beloved land. However, their country, Canada, does not return that respect.

Tens of thousands of Canadians crossed the border to join up with the American military during the era of the Vietnam War. Over one hundred Canadians lost their lives in battle. One Canadian won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Today, Canada points with pride to the fact that they welcomed with open arms, America’s military deserters and draft evaders, yet they do not acknowledge their own citizens who fought against the evils of communism during the Cold War.

It seems the present Canadian government is attempting to rewrite the history of their country’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Recently, Ms. Coulter, on a government supported Canadian broadcast, lauded the Canadian troops that fought in that war. She was rudely slapped down and told that she was wrong. The host, Bob McKeown, an employee of the government controlled Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) told her and his viewers that Canada “took a pass on Vietnam”.