NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
Organisation canadienne des vétérans de l’OTAN
A Voice for today’s Veterans ~ Une voix pour les vétérans d’aujourd’hui
Press Release
Updated - May 08 2014
For Immediate Release
Gord Jenkins May 7, 2014)
As we prepare for the National Day of Honour, let us go back to the start line. In October 2001 they arrived in Afghanistan; the leading elements of the Canadian Armed Forces, ready and prepared to take on the terrorist Al-Qaeda network run by Osama Bin-Laden and to set right what was wrong in the world.
In March, 2014 they arrived home to Canada; the remaining rotational elements of the Canadian Armed Forces, ready to reunite with family and friends, all this after a 12 year period which saw Canada’s Navy, Army and Air Force make sacrifices in the name of democracy and protecting our way of life.
Within this 12 year period, we lost 158 CAF personnel. They were the sons and daughters of this nation. They must never be forgotten. They returned home and were received into the open arms of a grieving yet proud nation. Their last trip home, being honored by Canadians of every color and creed who lined the Highway of Heroes to pay final respects to these men and women, whose lives were cut short, will always be etched in our minds and in the soul of this Nation.
Their comrades returned home, many of whom went back into the theatre of operations to serve a second, third, fourth tour of duty. Many came home with limbs missing. Many came home changed. They suffer scars of what they had seen and what had happened to them. These scars, visible or invisible, are going to be with these Veterans forever and they will need our support as a Nation.
As a grateful nation, welcoming back our sons and daughters, let us remember that honouring their contributions and sacrifice, through events across Canada, demonstrates our appreciation. Let this appreciation also be tangibly demonstrated by ensuring that these modern day Veterans do not become part of a lost generation who also has to fight at home to obtain the services they need. This would be the greatest demonstration of gratitude for their sacrifices that a country could make. Let our voices be heard and let our actions towards our Veterans speak louder than words.
The NATO Veterans Organization of Canada, comprised solely of Veterans, is extremely proud of the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in this conflict and the contributions made on a daily basis, working selflessly on behalf of all Canadians. Your efforts are appreciated by a grateful Nation.
Gordon Jenkins
E mail : gordjenkins@sympatico.ca
Phone 613 723 1581
Last modified
May 08 2014