I’m pro-military. There are lots of decisions made by our politicians that I disagree with but those decisions don’t colour my opinions of the members of the Candian Forces. You can’t marry and live with someone who believes their job in the Canadian Forces is a calling and not believe in the need for, necessity and mission of our soldiers.
These past few weeks have been hard. We’ve lost a number of soldiers due to road side bombings and accidents. Many of the deceased were stationed at our base. Those lost are members of our extended family – those who chose to serve – whether or not we knew them personally.
As I read the newspaper, online articles and watch the news, I’m disheartened by the continual emphasis by the media outlets to the opinions of politicians and citizens who support either 1) bringing our troops home or 2) changing their mandate to peacekeeping and infrastructure building instead of combat. Some of the people with this attitude have never met a member of our Canadian Forces. They’ve never spoken to a soldier or members of their families. I am astounded at the knee-jerk reaction and naivete of these individuals and do not believe that equal time or opportunity to speak is being provided to those who offer an opposing view and support the current mission.
If we are unwilling to fight to protect citizens in Afghanistan – where we have been invited and continually requested to stay and assist by the current Afghani government and sanctioned by the UN – then how can anyone possibly expect a Canadian soldier to successfully build infrastructure (roads, schools, homes, water plants, etc.) that will not be immediately destroyed? If we pull our troops home due to the harsh realities of combat, how can we honestly hold out heads up in public – either locally or in an international venue – and claim to care about womens’ rights, the tenants of democracy and freedom?
It is as if we have forgotten:
“War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
–John Stuart Mill
I like to think I’m not blood-thirsty nor clouded by any desire or love of war. I like to think my opinion is founded on logic and an intimate knowledge of the sacrifice entailed for our soldier to perform their current mandate. At minimum, I’ve spent many hours considering both sides of the coin, knowing that this is not some strangers’ son that I’m willing to put on the line in order to see the mandate carried out. It is my family who is directly affected when I say I support our troops and their current actions in Afghanistan.
I am not writing in hopes of gaining political ground or with rose coloured glasses firmly in place. I understand the sacrifice I am asking others to make in order to attempt to bring long lasting stability and peace to this war-torn region. I understand that we may make that sacrifice ourselves.
To the families of those who have fallen recently, I can only extend my sympathies. I will not pretend to know what you are going through. What I do know is that many of our CF members in theatre and out believe in what they have been asked to do. They believe in the mission. We should never stop believing in them.
Soft winds, gentle landings. Pro Patria.
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