I had intended to write about this about a month ago, when I found myself in the middle of a repatriation ceremony.  I was traveling between Milton and Ottawa to attend company meetings, and noticed that there were people congregating on overpasses in the Toronto area.  After traveling through several cities and seeing every single overpass crammed with people, emergency vehicles, and flags, I figured that something was going on and called home to Jodie to find out if she knew what was happening.  Surely enough, a group of soldiers had been killed over the weekend by an IED in southern Afghanistan and were returning to Canada today.

I was incredibly moved and indeed choked up as I drove the highway, knowing that a procession carrying fallen heroes was likely to be passing me in the opposite direction any time soon.  Veterans stood at attention, police, fire and ambulance services from every region donned dress uniforms, and the general public gathered in sombre groups along the highway.  When the motorcade did pass by on its journey between CFB Trenton and the coroner’s office, the crowds stood silent.  I reflected.  And then the crowds got back into their vehicles and quietly returned to their daily routines.

It made me proud to be a Canadian, and re-invigorated my belief in the power of community.  Canada is a relatively small country, and our military even smaller.  We do get involved in several conflicts globally, but when we do each one is closely scrutinized.  I would suggest that most Canadians are aware of the Afghanistan mission, of Canada’s prominent role in the dangerous Kandahar region, and are aware of almost every single death that occurs in our military.  You can call that quaint, you can call it a luxury afforded by our limited global involvement, or you can even call it silly.  I call it humanity.

So why am I finally writing about this today?  I came across an article in the Daily Mail out of Britain that compares the journey of a fallen Canadian soldier to that of a British soldier.  It would seem that the way we treat our fallen soldiers here is being shared amongst British troops, somewhat revered amongst others in the world, and provides a focal point around which this newspaper believes that Britons should feel shame.  I don’t personally know anyone in the British military, but the article paints a pretty bleak picture of how the dead are treated upon their return.  I sincerely hope that the article is hyperbole.