Lest we forget ...

90 years ago tomorrow, the German and Austria-Hungarian forces surrendered to the Allies at Versailles. That war, then called the war to end all wars, marked not only the greatest casualty toll the world had ever seen, and the rapid decline in the power and influence of the old empires, it also witnessed the emergence of two nations on the world scene. For the US, it was a coming out party. An opportunity to arrive like the proverbial cavalry charge and save the day. The Americans were there for only one year of the war, the last, but there is no doubt that by sheer numbers alone they were able to break the stalemate that had been WWI.

For Canada, the world was offered a first glimpse of a new nation shedding the image of 'colony' and standing up on its own. Over 600,000 Canadian soldiers served in the war, nearly 10% of the entire population. 10% of those never went home. Few were the families that weren't touched by loss. My own family sent three members to that war. Both of my grandfathers and my great-uncle. My uncle, Dr. Cyril Flanagan, was left for dead in the mud at Passchendaele Ridge in the autumn of 1917. A medic came by after patching up the survivors to find him still alive. 16,000 of his comrades weren't so fortunate.

I spent over 5 years working for the United Nations, and during that time I became distinctly aware of the reputation our nation has garnered over the past century. We have a worldwide reputation second to none. Emerging countries look to us for guidance and powerful countries look to us for mediation and moderation. In some places, like the Netherlands, we are loved like brothers. In some, like Russia, we're looked upon with mild suspicion. But in none are we looked upon with fear, loathing, jealousy or ridicule.

I guess I am writing this uniquely serious article on this site because tomorrow, at 11am, I suggest to you all that you take a moment and silently thank the well over 100,000 men and women who have died for this country this century, and helped bring this relatively small, young nation to the forefront of the international community, and offer your appreciation for the soldiers still in harm's way in Afghanistan. We have, as a nation, done our utmost to stand and fight where we believed there was injustice. Rarely have we done so for our own gain. There are few nations on Earth who can truthfully say they've done the same, and for that we should be proud.

So, in closing, I leave you with perhaps the greatest piece of poetry ever written by a Canadian:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae