Storey: Afghan War veterans should be eligible for Victoria Cross
Article content
Looking back, Canadians earned 73 Victoria Crosses — the highest award for military valour awarded by the United Kingdom to the armed forces of Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — during the First World War, and an additional 16 during the Second World War. The last was awarded to Royal Navy pilot Lieut. Robert Hampton Gray during the final month of the war.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Each citation was vetted by not only the Canadian military but also the British military, as the British had ultimate control over who received this most coveted award.
Article content
In the past 80 years, no Victoria Crosses have been awarded to Canadians, even after we adapted our own unique version of the British medal in 1993.
Article content
Canadians have fought two shooting wars, a 12-year war in Afghanistan that cost us 158 lives and a three-year war in Korea in the early 1950s that cost 516 lives. Since 1948, more than 125,000 Canadian soldiers have served worldwide on numerous challenging U.N. missions that at times were more peace-making than peacekeeping in nature, costing Canada 130 lives.
Article content
But apparently no Canadian measured up to earning a Victoria Cross.
Article content
The drought in awarding any Canadians the Victoria Cross for combat actions in Afghanistan is perplexing, given that our closest Commonwealth allies have been much more generous in recognizing their valour in that theatre.
Article content
Article content
Australia deployed 26,000 soldiers to Afghanistan and awarded four Victoria Crosses. The United Kingdom deployed 150,000 and awarded three. New Zealand, which deployed 3,500, awarded one.
Article content
Article content
Even our NATO allies were more open to recognizing courage in Afghanistan with their top awards. The United States, which deployed over 800,000, awarded 20 Medals of Honor. Germany, which deployed 150,000, awarded four Bundeswehr Crosses of Honour. Italy, which deployed 50,000, awarded three Gold Medals of Military Valour. Even the Netherlands, which deployed 20,000, has apparently awarded three Military Orders of William.
Article content
Yet Canada, which deployed over 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, has not awarded anyone our own version of the Victoria Cross, but has instead elected to award the next highest valour decoration, the Star of Military Valour, to 17 Canadians and one U.S. Navy Seal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Military artifacts dug up at PNE to be returned to Canadian Armed Forces at ceremony
The PNE says all the military artifacts dug up at Hastings Park will be returned to the Canadian Armed Forces at a ceremony on Tuesday. Crews working on the new Freedom Mobile Arch Amphitheatre found more than a dozen guns and cannons from the First World War buried at the site. On March 27, crews discovered what appeared to be a 'cannon.' It turned out to be a captured German Howitzer from the First World War, taken as a trophy by Canadian soldiers. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Canadian troops brought a number of such weapons home, which were displayed around the city in the years after the war, according to James Calhoun, curator for the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum. 1:27 More historic military artifacts uncovered at PNE The guns were moved to Hastings Park in the 1930s with plans to make a permanent display, but the Great Depression scuttled that plan. Story continues below advertisement By the 1940s, they were viewed as 'junk,' he said, and it's believed they were ultimately used to fill in a ravine on the site when the military took over the park in 1942. It was then used as a training site for troops. As part of the all-day celebration on Tuesday, all active duty and retired military members will receive free admission to the Fair at the PNE.
Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
The mothers of dissension
How we live When millennials clash with their baby-boomer parents over how to raise a child, who wins? That question is sowing more friction than ever in Canadian families The Globe and Mail Kathryn Ross, 36, is a millennial parent to two Generation Alpha boys. She has not always seen eye to eye with her baby-boomer mother, Norma Oda, about their upbringing. Chloë Ellingson/The Globe and Mail to view this content.
National Observer
10 hours ago
- National Observer
One in seven First Nations impacted as Canada battles raging wildfires
As wildfires scorch Canada amid its second-worst wildfire season on record, Indigenous leaders and experts say the country's approach remains reactive — leaving Indigenous communities disproportionately vulnerable. At a Monday press conference, federal officials reported that 707 wildfires are currently active nationwide. The extreme fire activity has strained firefighting resources, prompting Canada to deploy over 560 international firefighters from six countries alongside Canadian personnel. This situation is particularly dire for Indigenous communities. Jen Baron, a postdoctoral researcher and incoming assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, said this year's fires are occurring in regions such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritimes, where such large-scale activity has been less common historically. Many First Nations communities are 'overexposed and underserved.' Remote, fly-in communities with minimal access routes face significant risks in evacuation and recovery. The infrastructure gaps make an already dangerous situation much worse, Baron said. Since April 1, 165 emergency events have affected 134 First Nations, resulting in 88 evacuations. Currently, 25 Indigenous communities continue to battle wildfires, with 12,000 members still displaced, primarily in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada, said Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada at the press conference. One in seven First Nations in Canada have been evacuated this season, said Niigaan Sinclair, an Indigenous scholar and commentator. 'That's hotels, emergency services, Red Cross — people are being moved out of their homes on an unprecedented scale,' he said. 'Many evacuees face substandard food and lack crucial wraparound services when placed in hotels. You can't just dump people into unfamiliar urban settings without support, especially when there is a long history of trauma, poverty and health challenges.' 'We need resources ready before emergencies happen,' said Niigaan Sinclair, an Indigenous scholar and commentator. Kyra Wilson, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, at a press conference on Aug. 8 said the insufficient support for evacuees, including shortages of food and inadequate shelter, is unacceptable, citing long delays from agencies like the Red Cross. 'I know of situations where families are put in hotels and they've been living on microwavable Kraft dinners because they don't have a kitchen and there's no restaurant in the hotel,' she said. Gull-Masty said the government is funding over 300 emergency management roles within First Nations, tribal councils and Indigenous organizations nationwide. 'This investment in local leadership and preparedness is the key to stronger, safer communities,' Gull-Masty said. Sinclair said the wildfire response continues to focus on firefighting and evacuations after disasters strike, rather than investing early in community capacity and infrastructure. 'We need resources ready before emergencies happen,' he said. Wilson agreed, pointing to the lack of local firefighters and support for them. 'We have people in communities that can fight these fires, and they're not allowed to. Why do we not have people in our communities that are trained to fight the fires? Why do we have to expect anybody outside our communities to come and save us? We can save ourselves,' she said. Some federal investments have targeted these gaps. This week, officials announced a $540,000 commitment to two wildfire training programs: $335,000 for the Yorkton Tribal Council in Saskatchewan to support the training of 35 new volunteer firefighters, and just over $200,000 for the Rural Municipality of Piney in Manitoba to train up to 60 individuals. These efforts are part of a larger $28 million effort aiming to train more than 1,000 wildland firefighters by 2028, with a focus on rural and Indigenous communities.
