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Recent Respect for the Military
By
Bob Orrick
The events of September 2001 caused Canadians to focus their attention on Canada's military, something they had not done for quite some time. From time to time, Canada's army or navy or air force made headlines but often for the wrong reasons. The Somalia affair in which a few Canadian Airborne soldiers, who defended their camp against a suspected enemy intruder, was turned into a witchhunt with the result that Ottawa blinked and the Airborne was disbanded. The soldiers' treatment of the intruder - their prisoner - might not have been according to the Marquees of Queensberry rules of engagement but it darn well was in keeping with a soldier's sworn duty to protect his camp against enemy intrusion. There is no condoning the soldiers' act following the capture of the intruder, but in wartime, sometimes, things are done that do not always sit comfortably with the folks back home. It is very much a case of "You had to be there." Another example of how things can be blown out of all proportion is the navy's 'Crossing the Line Ceremony.' Some of Canada's soft media tried to make a mountain out of molehill by twisting the innocent actions of sailors into something evil and reeking of seaborne witchcraft. The 'Crossing the Line Ceremony' is a harmless exercise that is carried out by all navies when ships cross from the Northern Hemisphere into the Southern Hemisphere. All tadpoles - those who have not crossed the Line before - are rounded up by shellbacks - those who have crossed the Line - and presented to King Neptune. Neptune listens to the charge against the tadpole, metes out appropriate punishment, and the shellbacks carry out the sentence. The punishment is usually a mock shave and a dunk in a pool. Once the tadpole has paid the price for being a tadpole, he becomes a shellback and joins other 'old sailors' and hunts down other tadpoles. The entire affair is harmless; yet, some of Canada's media attempted to paint a nasty picture. Fortunately, nothing came of it other than a few scribes had the folly of their ways pointed out to them.
All that changed with the terrorists' unprovoked attacks on the USA in September 2001. Now, Canada's military is seen by many Canadians to be worthwhile; some even are calling for an increased military budget. Now, that would be a godsend. Should Canadians who put their faith and trust in the army, navy and air force hold their collective breaths to see if Ottawa spends wisely rather than foolishly? The answer lies in the future but at the moment, it would appear that the Trans Canada Highway might be seen by some in the nation's capital as having more capital than the military. In the meantime, the 40-year old Sea King helicopters continue to shake, rattle and roll as sailors and airmen try to keep them in the air and not allow them to falter and crash into the water. For those who fly the aged Sea Kings, death lurks nearby.
What do you think? Should Canada upgrade its military to a standard that at least meets minimum standards or should Ottawa spend billions on a highway? Send your comments to syears@senioryears.com. We will display letters at Talking Back to Bob.
Bob Orrick is a private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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