You hear the phrase - Lest We Forget - more as we get closer to Remembrance Day - November 11 - here in Canada.
The day is very important to me as I take some time to think about friends that are no longer here. I also think about all of the Canadian soldiers I do not know throughout time that have stood to protect Canada and have been lost. What they did was important, and it counts as important to me to think about them.
But, I want to mention that Lest We Forget is not about remembering war and avoiding it. It is about remembering war, and the sacrifices, and why there was war. It is to remember so that we can avoid war if possible and reasonable, but also, so that we know there are times we must go to war.
Some shame I carry as a Canadian is due to our behavior in Rwanda in 1994. Canada was there on a peacekeeping mission, but yet somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million people were killed - in around 100 days in fact. True Genocide was practiced. I believe that Canada should have done much more to prevent that. Genocide is something we have seen in the past, and is something worth fighting to avoid. There was Canadians on the ground that did everything they could - and more. But Canada should have sent more and done much more.
Lest we forget is something we must say out loud, and think about, as if we don’t it can be costly.
Michael - Once part of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, as Cpl Robert Michael White.
