Veterans at War (with one another)
A fact unbeknownst to most Canadians is that as we approach this Remembrance Day many of our veterans are once again mired in a war. This conflict isn’t being followed closely by any media outlet, and like most wars, it will likely grind on for years resulting in nothing other than anger, division and suffering among the combatants.
Unlike their own collective wartime or other deployments, this isn’t an action against an identifiable foe or hostile government that has been sanctioned by parliament. It is a private, closed group affair, confined primarily to social media or the comments sections of online articles. These are the battlefields where the great veteran heroes of this war send scathing, self-righteous, opinionated salvos back and forth at one another with nearly complete anonymity.
This is a war between veterans, about being veterans, and about what that means. It is a war about how a veteran should comport themselves and what your beliefs as a veteran should be. It is deep, it is personal, and it is probably as old as war itself.
If this last paragraph strikes you as inane, I’d be the first to agree with you, yet here we are, and for whatever reason the battle rages on. If scholars ever examine it, they might say it wasn’t a war but rather a small quarrel in the larger societal battle encompassing the Canadian Armed Forces attempts at culture change, pandemic politics, and the concept of freedom.
Regardless, both sides are guilty of whataboutisms, speaking on behalf of other vets, closemindedness, and a general sense of unfounded self-righteousness that isn’t inherently vested upon them simply because of their veteran status.
The truth that the veterans involved in this squabble need to hear, and process, is whether you like or dislike what the CAF is doing, what your take on the politics of the pandemic are, or what freedom means, is irrelevant…except to you.
Regarding the first matter, CAF culture change. You’re no longer serving, so accept the fact your opinion doesn’t matter. Want a real say, re-enlist. Also understand that your take may differ significantly from other veterans, who are equally entitled to their opinion, regardless of whether it is or isn’t copacetic to your own.
Regarding the second matter, pandemic politics. Orders are orders, but bodily autonomy is bodily autonomy its a Catch-22. The government and CAF leadership doesn’t always know that what it’s asking you to do may not inadvertently cause harm. Agent Orange use at CFB Gagetown is but one example, mefloquine another. Yet it is a condition of service that requires soldiers, sailors and aviators to have faith that their leadership and the government aren’t going out of their way to inflict harm upon them.
Regarding the last matter, freedom. Every veteran chose to serve for their own reasons. Freedom, rights, free will, all of it is subjective to an individual based on their own experiences, beliefs, and values. I envy the ethicists of future who will get to parse and analyse all the decisions governments, societies and individuals made with the luxury of hindsight. However, for the veterans of the present, feel free to say, support, or criticize however your beliefs align but remember being a veteran assigns no special credence to it.
If you’re a veteran who’s involved in this war, take a step back, look around and realize that the ground you think you’re holding may not be the moral high ground. Dust off that old character trait of humility, admit you might not have all the answers, and that veterans are not a monolith of beliefs and re-engage your peers with civility. Come together to remember the sacrifices of those who served before us and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. That is our true calling.
Lest we Forget.
John