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Topic: National Peacekeepers Day (Read 179 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Geee, who knew?
Today we celebrate Canada's peacekeepers -- officially
Canwest News Service
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Today, Canadians will celebrate, for the first time officially, National Peacekeepers' Day.
"Today we honour all who sacrificed so much in order to protect the lives of others," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a news release.
"For decades, members of the Canadian Forces have been the most enthusiastic participants in, and experienced leaders of, peacekeeping operations around the world. Peacekeeping is part of Canada's strong military tradition. It is also a symbol of our country's commitment to building a more safe and secure world."
Prime minister and later Nobel Peace laureate Lester B. Pearson approved the first United Nations peacekeeping
mission in 1956, an endeavour often cited as being distinctly Canadian.
"The word 'peacekeeping' can be deceiving, as it often involves service in some of the most dangerous regions of the world," Mr. Harper said in the release.
An unofficial peacekeepers' day has been observed for years, but in June the government passed legislation to formally name the date.
Aug. 9 was chosen because on that date in 1974, nine Canadian peacekeepers were killed when their plane was shot down over Syria.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Campaign to bring more attention to peacekeeping veterans
ASHLEY FITZPATRICK
The Western Star
CORMACK — Peacekeeping Day is Aug. 9 but, on the day before the day, members of the western Newfoundland chapter of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping were dressed and out in Cormack, working on a new campaign to acknowledge Newfoundland war veterans.
The peacekeeping veterans are now working to have over 100 metal crosses, with Canadian and British flags, placed at the individual graves of the province’s war veterans.
According to the president of the western Newfoundland chapter of association, Kevin Hollohan, the flags will properly associate each of the veterans with their country of service.
“The people who served for the British forces will get a Union Jack because that’s the flag they served under,” said Hollohan, “and Canadian forces will get a Canadian flag.”
Although the flags and metal crosses cost approximately $20 per unit, they are being provided by the group for the grave sites of veterans at no cost to the veterans families.
The flags will also be replaced over time, as they become torn by wind or otherwise damaged.
The effort is meant to keep the memory of veterans and their achievements in the minds of Newfoundlanders throughout the entire year, instead of just at specified times of remembrance.
“Veterans are remembered on Nov. 11,” said Hollohan, “but what about the rest of the year?”
The Corner Brook Foundary and Fabrication donated the first 100 metal crosses that also act as the flag holders. The crosses are decorated with a poppy of remembrance.
And while the peacekeepers are busy working in remembrance of war veterans, their own efforts are also set be remembered as Canada celebrates National Peacekeeping Day.
While peacekeeping veterans were included in ceremonies for the year of the veteran in 2005, it wasn’t until June of this year that the government passed a bill to announce a yearly date — Aug. 9 — that will recognize peacekeepers as a separate group of veterans, with a history and a future mission that sets them apart from others.
The date of Aug. 9 was chosen, for example, because it was on that date in 1974 that nine Canadian peacekeepers died after their plane was shot down over Syria.
The first Canadian peacekeepers left this country in order to aid in ending the Suez Crisis in 1956. The concept and mission earned Lester B. Pearson a Nobel prize.
The first Canadian peacekeeping casualty was acting Brigadier HH Angle of Kamloops, BC in 1951. Since Angle’s death, Canada has suffered over 100 peacekeeping casualties.
Canadian peacekeepers are currently operating missions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe and the Americas.
Yet the men and women of association present in Cormack said little about their own organization. Their focus was on the veterans they feel are often forgotten despite the ceremonies that are occasionally held in their name. One such gentleman was on hand for the ceremony Friday. Samuel Alexander is 94 years old and one of the areas last remaining second world war veterans.
“I’m proud of my service,” said Alexander, adding that the new project of the peacekeeping veterans is appreciated and that all Newfoundlanders should remember their veterans — from all forces.
Day commemorates important work of Canadian peacekeepers
By Dave Mabell
Aug 9, 2008, 04:50
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Canadians have been counting the casualties since our armed forces joined battle in Afghanistan. But while we’re honouring soldiers who’ve been injured and killed, Canadians should also salute generations of men and women who’ve taken on peacekeeping duties overseas.
That’s why groups across Canada will be marking the nation’s first National Peacekeepers’ Day today. Parliament approved the commemoration earlier this year, setting it for Aug. 9 — the day nine Canadian peacekeepers died in 1974 when their aircraft was shot down over Syria.
Capt. David Swan, administrative officer for the 18th Air Defence Regiment, says no Lethbridge observation is planned this year. Very few members of the militia are here over the summer, he explains, with some going away for training while others may be deployed with the regular forces.
But many Lethbridge-based personnel have taken part in peacekeeping events in recent years, Swan adds.
“Over the years, it’s really been a fairly steady stream.”
Before Canadian Forces were committed to the NATO-led invasion of Afghanistan, he says about one-third of the local regiment’s strength was dedicated to various peacekeeping operations around the world.
“The bulk of the service people who’ve been here with the 18th would have done a peacekeeping rotation,” Swan says.
Those peacekeeping roles, long a hallmark of Canada’s service to the United Nations, began shortly after the end of the Second World War. Military historian Amy Shaw, a faculty member at the University of Lethbridge, says Canadian peacekeepers played a crucial role in defusing the Suez Canal confrontation in 1956.
“People were worried it would lead to another war,” with the Soviet Union expected to side with Egypt. Instead, Canadian troops trained for the task managed to keep control — just as they had after Israel was created in 1948.
“This was something that had never been tried before,” she adds.
Its success led to the Nobel Peace Prize being presented in 1957 to Lester Pearson, former president of the UN Assembly and later (1963 to 1968) prime minister of Canada.
Over the decades that followed, Shaw says Canadians have identified peacekeeping as one of their nation’s major contributions.
“It’s become part of our national identity.”
But few Canadians realize recent governments have all but abandoned that work, she suggests. Though many thousands of men and women — including police officers as well as Canadian Forces’ personnel — have taken part in more than 50 peacekeeping missions over the years, there’s just a handful today.
Just 62 Canadians are among the 77,000 UN peacekeeping troops currently deployed the world’s trouble spots, officials say. While UN peacekeeping strength is at an all-time high, Canada’s participation has never been lower.
That decline must be reversed, Shaw urges.
“I think we still have troops that are more experienced in peacekeeping than other countries,” she says.
Committing more Canadians to peacekeeping duties — and fewer to Afghanistan — would not require a major shift in our military operations, Shaw says. And there’s no lack of trouble spots that need skilled peacekeeping intervention.
Lethbridge MP Rick Casson, chair of the Commons’ standing committee on national defence, maintains Canadian troops are fulfilling many peacekeeping functions today in Afghanistan.
“Our priority is Afghanistan,” he says. “To keep 2,500 troops on the ground requires a great deal of support.”
Casson says their duties have included aiding educational efforts, supervising elections and supporting local government.
“We’re doing all that in Afghanistan,” he adds. “But I know it’s not the traditional role.”
While no Aug. 9 event is being held locally, Casson says he expects commemorations will be held in Ottawa and other cities across the land. Canada’s peacekeepers have earned the nation’s respect.
Adds Casson, “There’s no shortage of places in the world where people can go to do good things.”
© Copyright by Lethbridge Herald.com
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3424
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Campaign to bring more attention to peacekeeping veterans print this article
ASHLEY FITZPATRICK
The Western Star
Members of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping and Second World War veteran Samuel Alexander were at the Anglican Cemetery in Cormack to place metal crosses and flags of remembrance. Taken at the veterans memorial beside the cemetery, the photo includes, back, from left, Winston Childs, Sheila Ereaut, Paul Davis, Michael Martin and, front, Clem Hawkins, Samuel Alexander, Kevin Hollohan and Peter Burbury. — Star Photo by Ashley Fitzpatrick
Members of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping and Second World War veteran Samuel Alexander were at the Anglican Cemetery in Cormack to place metal crosses and flags of remembrance. Taken at the veterans memorial beside the cemetery, the photo includes, back, from left, Winston Childs, Sheila Ereaut, Paul Davis, Michael Martin and, front, Clem Hawkins, Samuel Alexander, Kevin Hollohan and Peter Burbury. — Star Photo by Ashley Fitzpatrick
CORMACK — Peacekeeping Day is Aug. 9 but, on the day before the day, members of the western Newfoundland chapter of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping were dressed and out in Cormack, working on a new campaign to acknowledge Newfoundland war veterans.
The peacekeeping veterans are now working to have over 100 metal crosses, with Canadian and British flags, placed at the individual graves of the province’s war veterans.
According to the president of the western Newfoundland chapter of association, Kevin Hollohan, the flags will properly associate each of the veterans with their country of service.
“The people who served for the British forces will get a Union Jack because that’s the flag they served under,” said Hollohan, “and Canadian forces will get a Canadian flag.”
Although the flags and metal crosses cost approximately $20 per unit, they are being provided by the group for the grave sites of veterans at no cost to the veterans families.
The flags will also be replaced over time, as they become torn by wind or otherwise damaged.
The effort is meant to keep the memory of veterans and their achievements in the minds of Newfoundlanders throughout the entire year, instead of just at specified times of remembrance.
“Veterans are remembered on Nov. 11,” said Hollohan, “but what about the rest of the year?”
The Corner Brook Foundary and Fabrication donated the first 100 metal crosses that also act as the flag holders. The crosses are decorated with a poppy of remembrance.
And while the peacekeepers are busy working in remembrance of war veterans, their own efforts are also set be remembered as Canada celebrates National Peacekeeping Day.
While peacekeeping veterans were included in ceremonies for the year of the veteran in 2005, it wasn’t until June of this year that the government passed a bill to announce a yearly date — Aug. 9 — that will recognize peacekeepers as a separate group of veterans, with a history and a future mission that sets them apart from others.
The date of Aug. 9 was chosen, for example, because it was on that date in 1974 that nine Canadian peacekeepers died after their plane was shot down over Syria.
The first Canadian peacekeepers left this country in order to aid in ending the Suez Crisis in 1956. The concept and mission earned Lester B. Pearson a Nobel prize.
The first Canadian peacekeeping casualty was acting Brigadier HH Angle of Kamloops, BC in 1951. Since Angle’s death, Canada has suffered over 100 peacekeeping casualties.
Canadian peacekeepers are currently operating missions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe and the Americas.
Yet the men and women of association present in Cormack said little about their own organization. Their focus was on the veterans they feel are often forgotten despite the ceremonies that are occasionally held in their name. One such gentleman was on hand for the ceremony Friday. Samuel Alexander is 94 years old and one of the areas last remaining second world war veterans.
“I’m proud of my service,” said Alexander, adding that the new project of the peacekeeping veterans is appreciated and that all Newfoundlanders should remember their veterans — from all forces.
Inaugural day honours sacrifices of peacekeepers
Canadians 'only difference between war and peace'
Cassandra Drudi
The Ottawa Citizen
Sunday, August 10, 2008
National Peacekeepers' Day was celebrated for the first time officially yesterday, with a ceremony at the peacekeeping monument on Ottawa's Sussex Drive.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson and local peacekeeping veterans were on hand to mark the day, observed after the federal government passed legislation in June to formally designate the date.
"Often our peacekeepers go where there is little peace to be kept, to places where they are, quite frankly, the only difference between war and peace," Mr. Thompson said in a released statement. "Each one of our peacekeepers has made a real and lasting difference in defending our shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. As Canadians, we take pride in their efforts and we are grateful for their service."
Aug. 9 was chosen in memory of the nine Canadian peacekeepers killed while serving with the United Nations Emergency Force in Egypt and Israel in 1974. They died on Aug. 9 of that year when their plane was shot down over Syria.
Lester B. Pearson, who became prime minister in 1963, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 after the United Nations General Assembly approved a 1956 peacekeeping mission he proposed. (The UN's first peacekeeping mission was in 1948.)
Peacekeeping still plays a key role in Canada's military tradition.
"For more than 60 years, Canada has been contributing to world peace and security by assisting nations in conflict regain and rebuild civil society after a period of strife," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in a press release.
"The nature of peacekeeping, like the nature of conflict, has changed over the years, but the goal remains the same -- to bring peace, freedom and security to people around the world. All Canada's peacekeepers should be proud of their achievements," he said.
Officers from the OPP and five local police services, including Ottawa's, are currently serving on peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone.
A fist, not a handshake
The role of the peacekeeper has changed over the years
By LAURA CZEKAJ, SUN MEDIA
Retired Col. Robert O'Brien stands next to the Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa. The 33-year vet first served as a peacekeeper in the Sinai Desert in 1964-65. (DARREN CALABRESE/Sun Media)
The war in Afghanistan has renewed calls for Canada's return to its traditional role as peacekeeper, a global big brother prepared to step into the fray and help to bring peace and order out of chaos.
It's a role that has become a source of pride for Canadians whose impressions of our military influence are often derived from our involvement in United Nations missions to defuse violence in hot spots around the world.
It's enough to make retired Col. Robert O'Brien shake his blue-beret-clad head.
"Canada has a far longer tradition at war than it has at peacekeeping," says the Ottawa resident. "People fail to grasp that during all the years of our peacekeeping we had many more troops involved in the Cold War stationed in Europe facing the Soviet Empire than we ever had in peacekeeping."
COMMON MISCONCEPTION
The perception that the Canadian Armed Forces international role has primarily been that of a peacekeeper is a misconception held by those who haven't served in the military, adds O'Brien.
The 33-year military veteran joined the armed forces in 1960 and embarked on his first peacekeeping tour in the Sinai Desert in 1964-65.
He served three tours with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) brigade in various European hot spots and spent 1983-84 serving in the Golan Heights.
"The best peacekeeper in the world is a professional soldier who also is prepared for combat," he says.
There are those who have served their country and those who have never come home in the course of that duty.
National Peacekeepers Day held yesterday is recognition of that sacrifice and falls on the same date in 1974 when nine Canadian peacekeepers died when their aircraft was shot down over Syria, making it the greatest loss of life in a single day for Canadian peacekeepers.
"It's extremely important for us to realize that we stand on the shoulders of giants," says Ann Livingstone, vice-president with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Ottawa.
Canada and peacekeeping have been synonymous since Lester B. Pearson proposed the formation of a UN-led peacekeeping force to oversee the cessation of hostilities when Egypt attempted to seize control of the Suez Canal in 1956.
CRISIS AVERTED
The crisis was averted and Pearson, who would later become our 14th prime minister, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.
The traditional role of the peacekeeper is to supervise a ceasefire between warring factions and observe their operations in an effort to maintain peace.
Increasingly, the UN is being asked to intervene in conflict zones where peacekeepers are required to be peacemakers in overseeing the disarmament of military parties, provide security to citizens, organize elections, and protect humanitarian aid convoys.
"Afghanistan, we must remember, is a UN-mandated operation being carried out by NATO," remarks Livingstone.
Canada, by its nature, is a country that seeks consensus, values dialogue and knows when to make a firm stand and hold to that stand, he says.
The notion of maintaining order where there is none also feeds into the public idealism that Canadians are the good guy, willing to intervene to protect the vulnerable.
When the fires of conflict are extinguished in Afghanistan, or at least brought under control, Ronald Griffis believes Canada will renew its focus on peacekeeping. It's just the type of people Canadians are, says the president of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping.
The 68-year-old retired military police officer maintains that Canada has the ability and the experience to continue its pursuit of peacekeeping interests worldwide.
Peacekeeping is in no way a soft skill set, says Livingstone. Occasionally, it requires a fist instead of a handshake.
"Peace is hard business. Peace is difficult and you have to fight for peace," she says. "Peace operations in the contemporary age are very much about the business of responding to vulnerable groups and intrastate conflicts and Afghanistan is one of those examples."
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Tears of heaven" fall on peacekeepers' parade
Author: Tony Keene
Date: Aug 12, 2008
Retired air force lieutenant-colonel Laurie Hawn held out his hands to feel the gently falling rain and looked around at the gathered soldiers, veterans, cadets and the public.
"These must be the tears of heaven", he said. "There is no duty more urgent than that of returning thanks. I invite you to join me in returning thanks to our peacekeepers."
Hawn was guest of honour at a ceremony Saturday in Angus to unveil a monument to Canada's peacekeepers. The date, Aug. 9, is now officially known as Peacekeeper's Day, after a bill was passed in Parliament in June. That was the day in 1974 when a Canadian aircraft was shot down over Syria, and nine Canadian peacekeepers were killed. Two of them were from Angus, Master Warrant Officer Cyril Korejwo and Corporal Bruce Stringer.
Cpl. Stringer's mother, Regina, was the Silver Cross mother for the ceremony.
"I felt like a queen riding in that vehicle, the people were warm and wonderful, and it was a glorious day despite the rain. And then the tears came," she said.
She joined Angus Legion president Irwin Collier as the stone was uncovered, and then laid a wreath. She rode back along the parade route in an Iltis vehicle, painted in United Nations colours.
Her son was only 23 when he was killed, flying as a loadmaster on the aircraft. His wife Shirley was just 21.
"He never liked school, he was a real mischief problem, but once he got into the air force he just loved his training courses and did well," she remembers. "He loved his job and he was so proud."
Hawn, who is parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, was a fighter pilot in Europe when the shoot-down occurred. He remembers it well.
"I was driving down the autobahn in Germany from Lahr to Baden when I heard the news," he said. "A good friend of mine, Captain Keith Mirau, was the co-pilot. You understand these things can happen in the military, but it was still a shock."
The ceremony honoured not only military peacekeepers, but members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police who have served on a variety of missions.
On parade were blue-clad members of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping, RCMP in scarlet and stetsons, and serving members of the Forces, many wearing their medals and blue berets from peacekeeping missions. Several historic vehicles from the Ontario Regiment Museum in Oshawa were also included.
Leading the parade was Lt.-Col. Michael Sweeney, the commander of Base Borden. Himself a peacekeeper, he is also a long-time resident of Angus. He served in Iraq and Kuwait as an observer after the first Gulf War.
"There are three main groups here today, the veterans who have served, the present-day members of the military who are serving, and the cadets who represent our country's future," he said. "This is the fifth year this ceremony has been held and I'm pleased to see how it has grown from just a handful of people, to what it is today."
Organizer and veteran peacekeeper Fern Taillefer of Barrie noted that while the rain was cold and uncomfortable, it did have a positive aspect. "It makes people think, that those peacekeepers out there, doing the job, are doing it often in much worse conditions."
After a second brief observance at the Angus cenotaph, participants huddled in the Legion to dry out and watch several presentations. Legion president Collier has been instrumental in pushing the memorial project forward. He is the patron of the Central Ontario chapter of the peacekeeping association.
"I can't really express my gratitude to all the people who have given help and support, especially from Borden," he said after the parade. "I'm so proud that we now have this official, national day of recognition."
As well as the memorial stone, a Lynx tracked vehicle, painted in UN white, was also unveiled and will stand as a permanent exhibit in the park. The organizers hope eventually to turn the park into an educational centre on Canada's peacekeeping missions. Collier has applied for a long-term lease on the park site.
Canada's first peacekeeper was killed on duty in 1951. Including our casualties in Afghanistan, which is a United Nations sanctioned mission, the toll now stands at 205. The latest, Master-Cpl. Josh Roberts, fell during a firefight in Kandahar on the same day as the ceremony.
The Angus ceremony was mirrored by events in Toronto and Ottawa. The peacekeeping vets group, CAVUNP, was formed in 1986, and now has chapters across Canada. Also joining in the memorial project were the township of Essa and the Canadian Airborne Regiment Association.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3424
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Special wreath honours Canadian peacekeepers
Published Wednesday August 20th, 2008
A4
By MICHAEL STAPLES
Rear Admiral Ante Urlic, the commander of the Croatian Navy, paid homage to Canada's military and its war dead by laying a special wreath at the cenotaph.
The Croatian naval commander was accompanied by Croatian ambassador to Canada Vesela Korac, New Brunswick Senator Noel Kinsella, Mayor Brad Woodside, MLA Rick Miles, commander of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Col. Ken Chadder, and Walter Brown, chairman of the New Brunswick Provincial Capital Commission, which facilitated the ceremony.
Earlier on Tuesday, Urlic inspected troops involved with the changing of the guard at Officers Square.
Urlic said it was important to lay a wreath at the cenotaph because of its history and tradition.
The move impressed Joe Bennett, a former member of The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, who served in Croatia under the flag of the United Nations in 1992-93.
"In all honesty, it is quite a privilege, really," Bennett said. "I ran into quite a few Croatian soldiers in my tour of duty in the Balkans, (but) it was under different circumstances. They're quite likeable people."
On Monday, the Croatian delegation visited the Atlantic naval fleet in Halifax, including the HMCS Fredericton, and will be stopping today at CFB Gagetown.
Kinsella said Croatian troops are now serving with Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. This reflects the new spirit of co-operation between the two countries and their militaries.
Deploying troops to Croatia in the early 1990s as part of an international peacekeeping force helped cement that tie, Kinsella said.
"It was a natural thing for us, as Canadians, given our values, to be part of the international peace effort during that conflict," said the senator.
Kinsella said Canada was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Croatia when it declared its independence and is now "very supportive" of its application for full membership in NATO.
Korac praised Kinsella for his role in solidifying relations between Croatia and Canada - especially as they pertain to the military.
Korac said her country would like to have more exchanges with the Canadian military.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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