Peace Keeping Week

Most people do not realize the we are into a special week in Canada.We celebrate this peace keeping week because for 40 years we Canadians were the best in the world at joining forces with the UN and helped to keep peace in war torn countries. We were the best as outlined in fact that when peace forces were formed we were at the top of the list for our participation.

In my lifetime Canada has sent its peacekeepers to numerous hot beds and did their job with hardly a loss of significant life. One life is one too many but considering the risky fields of action the blue beret stood for UN and forces that at times never had to fire a shot. The very presence of our brave troops signaled it was a time to cool it and begin talks for a permanent solution to the problem.

Canada has been in Cyprus for a lifetime and are the main force there and on their watch hardly a breech of the peace has happened. One incident at the beginning caused the death of 15 of our peacekeepers but since that time a handful.I am very proud of our armed forces but I am disturbed at our government for placing what was the best in the world at peacekeeping to a small combat unit in a war zone without hope of long term peace. Our value has been usurped and our effectiveness as a military power was never significant since the Korean War. Why the great turn around in our world role ? Why are so many of our troops giving their lives to a cause that was not ours in the first place.

We and America have been dragged into a cesspool of misdirected objectives and we are paying the price. Our previous role had us helping countries who asked us to be there and we left after our mission was complete with heads held high and the thanks of grateful countries. This mission will have us fighting a war without clear exit strategy and financial distress when we could use the resources here in Canada.

God bless our troops and I hope that someday we will return to the peaceful role we once cherished and actuated so competently.