Red Friday ~ Support the Troops ~ Support the Families

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http://www.forces.ca/en/home/

Did you know the Canadian Forces have their own You Tube Channel?

http://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianForcesVideos

more random trivia ...

So often, the darling Coffeypot asks a simple question, that turns into an entire post ... This question was from a while ago.  Here are some explanations of phrases you will see me use here from time to time:


CHIMO

The Canadian Military Engineer's greeting, toast and battlecry is "CHIMO" - pronounced CHEE-mo. This expression is also often used as a closing on correspondence between Engineers. When two Inuit meet on the Arctic tundra, each rubs his chest in a circular motion and says "Chimo" ("Are you friendly"). The answer is a repeat of the gesture and the word "Chimo"! ("Yes, I am friendly"). The current spelling and pronunciation is based on a Caucasian adaptation of the Inuktitut native language of northern Canada. The greeting was introduced during the time of unification to create a common tradition to the CME. The corps was also heavy involved with the development of Canada's North at the time.


PRO PATRIA


Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori is a line from the Roman lyrical poet Horace's Odes (III.2.13). The line can be roughly translated into English as: "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country."  Thusly, Pro Patria is "For (one's) country.


"Pro Patria" is inscribed on the collar insignia of the Royal Canadian Regiment


VIGILAMUS PRO TE


We Stand On Guard For Thee  (From our national anthem, for the non-Canadians in the crowd.)
Motto of the Canadian Forces Land Command (aka "The Army").


Tap and Drink


Tap of the Glass on the table after a toast to honour comrades no longer with us.

Je me souviens

"I will remember", or "I remember", in French.  The motto of the Valcartier/Quebec City/Laval/St Hyacinthe based Royal 22e Régiment, who are also known as "The Van Doos", an english bastardization of "vingt-deux", the french word for 22.

Per Ardua Ad Astra

Through adversity to the stars, the motto of the Canadian Forces Air Command.  Comes, reportedly, from a book called "People of the Mists" written by Sir Henry Rider Haggard:

"To his right were two stately gates of iron fantastically wrought, supported by stone pillars on whose summit stood griffins of black marble embracing coats of arms and banners inscribed with the device 'Per Ardua ad Astra'".

The translation from Latin is open for debate among people with nothing better to do scholars, but for the purposes of the CF it remains " Through adversity to the stars"

Arras

I have a locket I picked up many years ago at a flea market in a little resort town on the shores of Lake Huron.  It is tarnished and battered, but for some reason it called out to me, and I "had to have it".  My guess is it is pewter, and was once plated with silver, but most of the silver is long gone.  On the front is a regimental crest that I have not yet had identified (although not from lack of trying) and on the back, inside a wreath of ivy leaves, is engraved the word "Arras".

A dear old gentleman I knew as a teenager, a WWII veteran and long time Canadian Forces member, who went on to serve in the diplomatic service,  told me that soldiers would have these lockets made when going in to battle, and send them home to their sweethearts.  I dearly wish my locket could talk,and tell me its story.

I am sitting here today watching a History Channel Documentary on Normandy, and was thinking about my locket.  While I cherish the locket for reasons I can't name, the thought crossed my mind of this tradition in a modern setting.  I would not want a locket commemorating Panjawaii or Nahkonay; from Medak or Sarajevo.  I do not want a pice of jewellry to remind me of a place a loved one or friend experienced the realities of war.

I do wear jewellry, mementos to remind me of my loved ones, and maybe to some that is equally strange.  I choose to remeber the person, not the event.

Today's musings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arras itself is a village in Northern France, in the heart of the Artois region.  The Dutch call the village Atrecht, and it is founded on the site of an ancient Celt village called Nemetocenna, in homage to a sacred grove that once stood on the spot.

If you look up the Battle of Arras in Wikipedia, you get 5 results.  One from 1654, 3 from WWI, and 1 from WWII.  I don't know which Arras my locket refers to, although I think we can rule out the one in 1654.  I believe the lockets are a WWII tradition, so I will assume it is from that one.

What is referred to as the First Battle of Arras began October 1, 1914, and was a conflict between France (which, although it lost the major battle, managed to hold Arras itself) and the German Empire.

The Battle at Vimy Ridge was part of the larger WWI assault referred to as the Battle of Arras, April 9 to May 16, 1917.  It is an interesting historical side note that since Newfoundland did not agree to become part of Canada until 1949, in the records for Arras it is listed separately as one of the combatants, equal along side of The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand 


The offensive referred to as the Second WWI Battle of Arras was August 26, 1918, as part of the Second Battle of the Somme, and the Hundred Days Offensive. 

The WWII Battle of Arras, commencing May 21, 1940, was a "tank war" fought as part of the Battle of France.

Red Friday - Support the Troops

For anyone who wonders why international troops are making the sacrifices they do in Afghanistan and other countries:

(Disturbing images ~ viewer advisory)

CNN Video ~ Forced Child Marriages

Counting time again. (Still? Forever?)

(Part 3 of "She" will happen, I am just taking some time to get some other things out.)

Less than 3 weeks until Sebastian, and a few other friends, leave.

Slightly less than 5 months until the Wolf returns.

I am not sure which one I am more nervous about.

Sebastian is heading off to do a job, in a area, that has him rather worried.  This will be his 4th tour in the sand; this is not first time jitters.  I am obviously not going into any sort of detail here, but from what he has explained to me his concerns certainly seem justified.  It is a job that needs to be done, so the folks charged with it, he and his team, will go do it.  Sebastian is also in a leadership role/rank/position.  He is not (admitting to be) concerned about his own safety; he is concerned that he will not be bringing his entire team home, that he will not be able to protect the brave men who share this task with him. 

Having seen first hand the devestating effects of survivor guilt, I pray that he is wrong; that their tasks get accomplished and that every one of them, including Sebastian, comes back to the people that love them, safe, physically and mentally.

~~~~~~~~~

As an interesting aside, I did something at work last week (chainsawing, on a steep slope, without anyone else present) that was stupid.  I did twist my knee, but nothing worse.  Sebastian was giving me crap, and I said to him "Look me in the eye and tell me you have never taken a stupid but calculated risk to get a job done that needed doing".  He conceeded my point.  It didn't make either of us feel any better.

~~~~~~~~~

As the Wolf's return date draws closer, it is also on my mind.

Now I know some of you are thinking "5 months??  What the heck is her definition of closer???"  but consider a few things:
~ I haven't seen the boy in the flesh since the end of July, so yes this does seem like an "imminent arrival", at this point
~ my work schedule will make the next 2.5 months literally fly by; I won't notice the passage of time; next time I "pay attention" it will be mid June, and the coutdown will really be on
~ The Wolf's sister in law, lovely well meaning woman, is already gently making suggestions about getting the two of us together when he is home.
~ it's my brain, it can process things the way it wants to.

So what will happen when the Wolf returns?  (Yes, I know I shouldn't be borrowing trouble, I should just wait and let things happen when they do.  Did you read the paragraph at the top?  The one that says this is my place to purge my daemons??)

Will I be able to stick to my guns, tell him I don't want anything to do with him unless he is sober, and agrees to get help, and even then I don't know if we can heal from what has happened?
Will I even want to see him?
Will he want to see me?

Part of me thinks I still need the face to face closure.
Part of me, if I am completely honest, still thinks I can "save him" ~ convince him to see how destructive his behaviour is to himselft and those around him, convince him to reach out for the help that is available
Part of me wants to run and hide, find out exactly when he will be in this province, and make arrangements to be somewhere else ... but I know, in my heart, that would leave me wondering "what if"
Part of me has moved on, and doesn't want to see the hurt in his eyes if I tell him that.  Although I may be flattering myself that it would hurt him.
Part of me will always be his friend.  And part of me is pretty pissed with him.

~~~~~~~~~

There are times I don't know if I can do this; but I care for both of these men, and so I must.  I love with my whole heart, and that means that I worry, but they need to do what they do, and I respect and support that.

~~~~~~~~~

Another turn of the wheel's gone round, leaving something else to rise above

One more emotional deal's gone down; Another trial for the power of love ...

(A Turn of the Wheel, Rawlins Cross, 1989)

If you don't stand behind the troops ...

... feel free to stand in front of them.

I saw this bumper sticker again on a car today.  I have seen this slogan on t-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, web sites, and e-mail signatures.

It offends me.   (I declare this can of worms.... OPEN!)

Just give me a second.

I support the troops.  I really do.

To me, my gut reaction to the slogan is that it implies that people who don't support the troops should stand in front of them ... either to be shot by them, or to be used as human shields.  Which I am pretty sure is the kind of things the people we are fighting against do, not the kind of thing our own troops do.

I *understand* what is really being implied ~ that if you don't support the troops, try doing their job, seeing what they see ... but to me, that is not being made clear in the message.

I certainly haven't asked them all, but I like to think that the majority of our Canadian troops (and American, and British, and Australian, and ... you get it) would defend a civilian's right to their opinion, even if it differed from their own ... even if it meant them not agreeing with the approved mission, or "supporting the troops".  I would like to think that most of them would not want a civilian standing in front of them in an active theater.

I try to be clear, and only say things I mean.  To me, that slogan does not say what I mean.

Comments, as always, welcome and expected.  Please feel free to disagree with me!

Red Friday - Support the Troops

March 1, 2010


KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN


Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) Commander, Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard speaks with Princess Anne in front of the Memorial for Canadian soldiers who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Princess Anne visits with deployed Canadian Forces members during her two-day visit to Afghanistan. The Princess met with members of the Communications and Electronics branch, Canadian Forces Medical Services and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during her visit. She is the honorary Colonel-in-Chief of all three branches.

Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) is the Canadian Forces (CF) contribution to the international effort in Afghanistan. Its operations focus on working with Afghan authorities to improve security, governance and economic development in Afghanistan. JTF-Afg comprises more than 2,750 CF members.


Photo credit: Master Corporal Matthew McGregor, Image Tech, JTFK Afghanistan, Roto 8

Canadian Forces Image Gallery

Red Friday

The Price of Peace Monument to Canadian Soldiers in Ortona, Italy

Last week marked the 66th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle for Ortona, Italy.

Canadian contributions to World War II are often associated with the Liberation of the Netherlands, Flanders, Juno Beach, and Dieppe.  Ortona, however, was one of the most difficult and bloodiest battles of the Italian Campaign, and was once a well known battle.  Canada lost +/- 1,200 troops in Italy in December 1943.  For our generation, it may have been glossed over, with focus on the "more famous" battles.  But during the war, everyone knew of the Battle for Ortona.  Last year, on the 65th Anniversary, my cousin (a teacher) was selected to take some of his students to help represent Canada at the commemoration event in Italy.

The Canadian Troops fighting there (mainly Loyal Edmonton Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders, and PPCLI) were relieved in small numbers on Christmas Day and taken into the homes of the remaining villagers for a Christmas meal, and a few moments of "peace":

"What a strange clutter of humanity it was. There were some five or six Canadian soldiers, there were old women and there were children innumerable. A painter of genius-Goya, perhaps-might have done justice to the scene. I felt no verbal description could do so. In the half-darkened room the pasta for the midday meal was simmering over the fire in the corner. Haggard, prematurely aged women kept emerging shyly one after another from some inner chamber where an old man, the grandfather of the numerous children, was dying... Another old man was uttering maledictions against Mussolini. Then his wife surprisingly produced a jeroboam of Marsala and half a dozen glasses and moved around among the soldiers, filling and re-filling their glasses. The children clambered around the Canadian soldiers and clutched at them convulsively every time one of our anti-tank guns, located only half a dozen paces from the door of the house, fired down the street in the direction of one of the remaining German machine-gun posts. Soon each one of us had a squirming, terrified child in his arms. And the old lady went on distributing Marsala."
- Christopher Buckley, Road to Rome, 1945.

For more info on the Battle for Ortona, please see The Juno Beach Center, or Canada at War

Lest We Forget

Jenny the Military Spouse

from Jenny the Military Spouse - seriously, anyone involved in the military lifestyle, go check out this site.

The Torch: Big Canadian operation at Kandahar ignored/Other CF Afstan news/Globeite update: Blackwater

Our troops are doing good things ... but is the public finding out?

Canadian Forces in the media