Why not a program to allow veterans' families to visit the battlefields where their parents fought? By Pierre Vennat
This editorial summarizes, with some additions, a text published in spring 2003 in The Fragment Magazine Association of Canada's war amputees and the National Council of Veterans Association. Over seven years later he is still relevant, Veterans Affairs Canada has not budged this issue.
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2002 marked the 60 th Anniversary of deadly raid on Dieppe, where my father, Lt. Andre Vennat, was killed. 2002 also marked the 85 th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy and the terrible battles of 1917, during the First World War, while my uncle, the aspirant John Vennat, elder brother of my father, is Fallen of honor.
I am privileged. Because I am a journalist and military historian, I attended in August 2002 the commemorations of the 60 th anniversary of the Dieppe raid, prompted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. But I could not, that year, visiting the grave of my father's first officers of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal to be killed in the raid which veered to the slaughter for our troops, he fell into his barge landing, never actually able to put their feet on the soil of France. And his body was repatriated to England where he was buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery.
In 1997, again as a journalist-historian, I could have, during the pilgrimage of the 55 th anniversary of the raid, go to Brookwood and look into the grave of my father. But in 2002, given the budget cuts I am told, the department had to cancel the visit to England. Complicated when you have a father born in Montreal, Quebec, killed on the shores of France during a commando raid, but buried in England.
But I'm not complaining. I consider myself very privileged as three times (1982, 1997 and 2002), the Canadian government has led me to Dieppe (again, in 1992, it was the French authorities Department of Calvados, in conjunction with the Memorial de Caen). And in only two of these trips, it took me to Brookwood.
I also, on two occasions, was able to go where my Uncle John fought near Vimy, Arras, Lille and Flanders in 1912. The first time in 1997 with the delegation celebrated the 80 th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy and the second, three years later, in 2000, while a Canadian delegation went to find the remains of Private unknown, among the hundreds of unidentified dead Canadian based in the vicinity of cemeteries. But I could never see the grave of my uncle. On each trip, the Canadian delegation had a busy schedule filled with ceremonies, which I had to attend and report back. It would have probably allowed me to visit the village where my uncle is buried at least a hundred miles from the Canadian memorial at Vimy, but I been told, I had to go through myself in a taxi. It would have cost a small fortune just to make a few minutes in a cemetery.
Read, however, I have twice to go to Vimy and three times in Dieppe, one might think that I benefit from it is unclear what political patronage as there are hundreds if not thousands of son or grand-son of veteran, and a fortiori nephews, who have never been and will never get paid the same trip in the State, as their father, grandfather or uncle has fallen on the field of honor or not.
I do not enjoy any preferential treatment. I'm not saying that being a war orphan hurt me. I say if I was taken on the battlefield, at the expense of the federal government, because I was not only a military historian but also attached to a large French-language daily in Montreal (The press) and I dealt extensively with these celebrations and sacrifices of veterans in my newspaper columns.
The proof is that although other journalists, French, like English, have, over the years, benefited from such largesse. The fact that I was from 20 years, who participated in more than commemorations (I was also twice commemorate the anniversary of the Normandy landings of June 1944, one of the 50 th the liberation of Holland, and I had the chance to visit Asia (China, Burma, Malaysia, Hawaii, Guam and Japan) to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of victory over the Japanese in 1995), is due not to the fact that I am an orphan of war, but that I am a journalist-historian who, through his books, his articles, his radio and television, had, at that time, the more interested Canada's military past in French and 20 th century.
In short, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not invite orphans or war widows in these commemorations. I am a happy coincidence and an exception. But I worry for others. is that the Department of Veterans Affairs, in its mandate and its role is to recognize the courage of those who gave us our heritage and have contributed to our growth as a nation. His commemorative program aims to honor those who defended the cause of peace on behalf of Canada and reach an audience that includes Canadians and the world.
Finally, we talk about young people aware of the military history of 20 th century to today, through the sacrifices and efforts made by Canadians in time of war and peace.
I have no doubt that the officers and department officials are serious when they set out these principles. But I doubt that our government takes it the right way.
And it also enabled me what to say (in English over the market that even too many elected officials and speaking in Ottawa can understand me) during a party held at the Casino de Dieppe, France on 21 August.
I reminded them that during this pilgrimage, as in previous, plus too many guests at state expense, had been invited free of MPs, officials, soldiers, senators and journalists. It has even, in some cases, spouses invited to minister. But no war widows, mothers of dead soldiers, orphans. They have no place in these celebrations.
Yet is there no better way to perpetuate the memory of soldiers of both World Wars and the Korean or even those who have played for Peacekeepers or participated in operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Somalia or the Gulf War, to invite their children, grandchildren, nephews, brothers and sisters, to visit places where they fought, where in many cases, were wounded, prisoners and even gave their lives ?
We forget. The bloodiest battles often take place away from big cities. The battlefields of Normandy, Holland, Belgium, were not near the Paris, Amsterdam airport Oou Brussels. The guys of 22 e who fought in Italy have not been around the Place Saint-Pierre-de-Rome or the Coliseum. In short, for anyone who wants to visit the battlefields of Europe in commercial flight, the thing is far from easy. Take my wife (my mother) when they wanted to see where my father fell (and how) they had to take a plane to London by train to Brookwood (where my father is buried), until another 'in New Haven on the shores of the Channel. There, the ferry to Dieppe to get an idea of what we saw and faced the commandos when they tried to land on the steep beach of Dieppe, between rocks almost impassable. And thence to Paris return.
It costs a small fortune. That my family had the means to do so does not alter the case. It is shameful that a government that subsidizes manufacturers of all kinds in missions throughout the world, singers, filmmakers, artists, not to mention politicians and their spouses do not find a way to provide subsidies widows, orphans, to go where their father, grandfather or uncle or great uncle in the case of singles, fell. And why limit yourself to orphans. Why a son or grand-son veteran would it not proud to visit the premises or relative distinguished himself for his country and he would not be entitled to a grant from a government that subsidizes almost anyone and does Anything?
Let no one make me believe that the parents of hundreds of soldiers who died in Hong Kong in Japanese prisons and Malaysia have, without exception, silver for s to get there.
That's what I tried to say on August 21, 2002 Dieppe, with MPs and officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs who were willing to listen.
The speech does not seem to hurt me, as a few months later, Veterans Affairs Canada named me Honorary Chair of the Veterans' Week in Quebec for 2002. I was led back to 2003, 2004 and 2005. Volunteer position.
But I had my outspokenness, I do not bothered to claim and deplored the many cadences of ministry all forums.
As of 2006, abolished the position. Now, it's "everyone" you like me, who, according to the department chairs said Week which, in practice, lasts a month, not counting preparation and feedback.
In 2006, presumably to m'amadouer, it gave me a contract for $ 15 000 to prepare a five year plan. I did, trying to stir "the cabin". This nice plan is still sleeping on the shelves. For all practical purposes, it has not been applied. Instead, the direction of Quebec has fewer resources than ever for the commemorations.
Then at the end of this year, I was asked to form an advisory committee that would have been advising the ministry on how to commemorate veterans and transmit Military History in Quebec. It was an advisory committee and I had recruited to assist me, historians and experts as valid as Beatrice Richard, a historian at the Royal Military College, Desmond Morton, in my opinion the best military historian of Canada, Sébastien Vincent, historian, teacher and instigator of the blog Quebec and the Second World War, Jean-Pierre Charland at then secretary of the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal and historian Jocelyne Milot, Director of the Musée du Royal 22 e Regiment at the Citadelle of Quebec, the official representative of the Federation of History of Quebec, director of the Naval Museum of Quebec a representative of the Armed Forces and another for veterans.
All volunteers, we served only three times. The department seems to have found that we were not appreciative enough and too critical. No meeting has been convened that committee since autumn 2007. Without explanation. And without any member of the committee, including its Chairman, is notified that the committee had been dissolved. So goes the ministry of spreading the memory of veterans.
After that, it is surprising that the Veterans Ombudsman, appointed by the federal government, however, come and take part for the scorn he gives "new veterans" of the injured Afghanistan and peacekeeping missions.
Respect for veterans, I think. Since 1959, I signed dozens of articles in newspapers and magazines in Quebec to recall their exploits. I published a dozen books under my signature campaign on the Northwest cons Riel, the First and Second World War, the Korean and a biography of General Dollard Ménard, in addition to the regimental history of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal. And I am currently working on the biography of General Guy Gauvreau. Since September 2010 I provide a course of military history Québec New France to Afghanistan on behalf of the University of Third Age, a constituent of the University of Sherbrooke.
I intend to continue. But this is not enough. I want others to have, also, the chance to visit at least once to the scene where grandpa, dad, son, big brother, uncle, cousin or nephew was beaten and perhaps, was killed .
In August 2002 in an icy silence, I had listened politely. But was I understood. Eight years later, I doubt very much!
The memorial to the fallen of World War II military cemetery at Brookwood vast cemetery where nearly 20,000 British soldiers and what was the "British Empire" and now the Commonwealth since the Crimean War to today, are based. More than 1000 Canadian soldiers, including Lt. Andre Vennat author's father, have their name inscribed.
Source: ACC
