In the shadow of giants
I felt compelled to write this post due to the number of times I’m told by younger veterans, “nobody wants to hear my story” or “I didn’t do anything significant”. It surprised me.
When I pressed a few on why they felt this way it was almost always one of two things they expressed; “I don’t feel worthy” and, “I never deployed”. It’s so quintessentially Canadian it makes me burst with pride and shake my head at the same time.
I’ve given the phenomenon quite a lot of thought since Remembrance Day. Local ceremonies were cancelled due to COVID so the family and I decided to wander the grave markers in Moose Jaw’s Rosedale Cemetery to pay our respects to the fallen in person. As we walked among the perfectly arranged stones, the wind whipping and tugging at our clothes, an answer started to form in my mind about why our generation of veterans, both younger and older, feel this way. It was a fleeting thought, like the snowflakes that were beginning to fall, but like the winter they presaged my idea hadn’t fully arrived yet either.
In the weeks that followed I tried to build on that thought, to formulate the reasons, to explain why current veterans are reluctant to share their stories; it’s a true conundrum. In closed groups veterans share stories with one another with a voracious appetite for the funny, macabre, embarrassing and daring. Yet ask them to share those same stories with the public and they clam up, tighter than bedsheets in the barracks on basic training. Why? The stories are amazing and people would love to hear them, it would certainly increase the understanding of the Canadian public regarding those who choose to serve in the CAF and about the lifestyle, commitments and sacrifices it entails.
After much thought I came to the conclusion its not one thing, but three:
We live in the shadows of giants;
We’re a modest bunch: and,
Remembrance Day has fallen victim to virtue signaling and lost some of its significance.
My last point may seem a bit contentious, in fact you may vehemently disagree or say I’ve taken a sacrilegious point of view, but I’ll provide my reasoning, and if you still disagree after reading it I encourage you to send me an email with your rebuttal which I will gladly post here.
That said lets begin.
First, modern veterans always live in the shadows of giants. The veterans of World War 2, faced a level of conflict and brutality unseen by civilization up to that point in time. The vanquished a great evil and did incredible things. They likely felt the same about the veterans of World War 1, and those WW1 vets likely felt that about the Crimean War. It’s a case of feeling inadequate in light of the challenges faced by the previous generation of solider without appreciating the unique hardships of the conflict at hand. Such is the case of each successive generation of veterans. It’s very much like saying “what they did was incredible, but I was just doing my job.” It’s a willful downplaying of the sacrifices and hardships that one endures to help normalize or lessen the impact of the experiences they faced but also that they honestly believe they don’t measure up, so they don’t share their stories despite being worthy in their own right. I’m not talking just the stories of bravery and daring but all the stories, the ones that help paint the whole picture of life in uniform and service. They all need to be told to truly understand a life in uniform especially in the age of asymmetrical, technology laced, insurgent warfare.
Second, we are modest…in fact we’re the best at being modest…which isn’t really modest at all, is it. But in general, veterans seem to under value their contributions and in doing so under value their stories. When veterans say, “Oh, I didn’t deploy” or “I didn’t do anything special” it’s like they’re apologizing for answering the call to leave home, don a uniform and put service before self for a specified period of time with unlimited liability. Like it was somehow their fault there was no war to fight at that particular time in history. Being a veteran and serving Canada is so much more than those fleeting and rare opportunities to serve overseas or during a conflict. Regardless of when you served, where or what you did, the fact you swore or affirmed an oath to the queen means you have a story worth telling.
Lastly, Remembrance Day isn’t what it used to be. In the last two years ceremonies across the country have been cancelled in favour of virtual ceremonies for the protection of public health. That’s played a factor, but its more than that. As our WW2, Korean and Vietnam veterans age and pass away, the time between the present and those conflicts become harder to relate to as the stories and influence of those who lived through them become less and less present in society. In addition to that, the act of remembrance, the words spoken with such reverence during hushed ceremonies are promptly forgotten days, if not hours after the poppies are placed on cenotaphs across the country. It’s akin to the 22 pushup challenge, or ALS Ice-bucket challenge…remember those? Everyone posts a poppy or picture on their social media, maybe even wears one, drinks at the Legion and then carries on with their lives doing nothing until 365 days later when they repeat those same actions. I’m just as guilty of this, most of us are, but by limiting our acts of remembrance to one day, by doing the bare minimum, we are all weakening the power of veteran stories. When we as a society undervalue the stories of veterans what incentive do they have to share them?
So, what’s the take away you may ask? It’s a question. How do we encourage Canadian veterans to share the stories about their service so that in 40, 50 or 60 years we aren’t scrambling to collect the few remaining like we are now with our WW2 and Korea vets?
I think it boils down to this:
We all need to tell veterans that they are giants in their own right, that their stories are unique and worth being told;
We need to show our support for veterans year round, whether that is by volunteering our time with a veteran focused organization or through financial support so their stories and experience live on; and,
As veterans we need to take ownership of Remembrance Day. If you’re not a legion member replacing those WW2 vets who’ve passed away helping to parade at a local school or arranging opportunities to talk to a class of student about your experience, ask yourself…"have I picked up that torch thrown to me from failing hands to hold up high?”
Whatever it is, your story is worth sharing, don’t kid yourself that it isn’t. Share it as you see fit but be sure to share it.
All the best,
John.