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Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 3 months ago

 

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

 

Canada Gets Behind Its Soldiers: The New Patriotism

Siri Agrell, National Post, 30 Dec 06

 

Ryan Elrick had just finished a snack of coffee and calamari at a Winnipeg diner when he asked for his bill.

 

"Somebody's already paid," the waiter informed the 34-year-old and his girlfriend. "This gentleman came in and saw you sitting there in uniform and said he'd like to pick up your tab."

 

Corporal Ryan Elrick is a member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who lost both of his legs -- one above the knee, one below -- when his vehicle was bombed just outside Kandahar on June 21. More than six months later, he is dealing with the new reality of a life that will be forever be changed because of violent events in a far-off land. His country, too, has faced a similar struggle this year, jarred awake to the fact that it is a nation at war.

 

And while this notion is the subject of fierce political debate across the country, it is personal gestures like the one made to Cpl. Elrick that signal a sea change in how Canadians feel about their military personnel.

 

Patriotism in Canada adapted this year to incorporate a new-found respect for our military's combat role -- and the sacrifices it entails -- while maintaining a pride in our peacekeeping past, with organizations and individuals demonstrating their support inmany ways.

 

A campaign called Red Fridays encouraged Canadians to dress in the patriotic colour as a signal of solidarity with the Armed Forces. Schools began letter-writing campaigns to provide soldiers abroad with mail from home. In Winnipeg, Canadian Forces wife Angeie Zuber started A Card from Home; in Toronto, legal assistant Wendy Sullivan launched a Canadian version of Soldiers' Angels, a U.S. group that sends letters, emails and care packages to members of the military.

 

The private sector also got involved. In May, Hyundai Canada presented a Santa Fe mini-SUV customized with hand controls to Master Corporal Paul Franklin, who also lost his legs in Kandahar.

 

And in London, the first for-profit organization associated with the patriotic push was formed: Support Our Troops, a group that sells T-shirts, hats, other merchandise and ad space, and donates most of the profits to Canadian Forces Personnel Support Group.

 

Cpl. Elrick believes the losses Canada has suffered in Afghanistan and the risks taken by its military is making people more patriotic even if the mission itself scares them.

 

During his two Afghanistan tours, he says, he enjoyed reading letters from school children even though he knew the kids' parents may not support the mission: "Whether their parents agree with it or not, it's beyond that, it's, 'Here's a certain aspect of your community that you should hear about.' "

 

He may also benefit from a new program called Soldier On, a joint effort between the Armed Forces and the Canadian Paralympic Committee that will provide injured personnel with athletic equipment and training.

 

Sergeant Andrew McLean, a Winnipeg- based search-and-rescue technician, helped set up Soldier On and believes Canadians will demonstrate their support for such initiatives the way they do other admirable causes.

 

"The Department of Veterans Affairs just can't provide money for everything," he said. "So this is just like doing a Terry Fox for the military. This is our Terry Fox."

 

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