Remember to Remember

Another Remembrance Day will soon be here and once again I ask that you take a moment to stop and give a quiet moment of thanks for those who sacrificed everything that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today, and especially give thanks to the veterans you might run into who endured things you will never, ever imagine to give you that freedom.

I know, SOME younger people question what we are giving thanks for. In their minds, the world is a horrible, warlike place and whatever sacrifices were made have certainly not brought peace to the world or enriched their lives.

It is so frustrating to hear some of them (again – SOME) go on and on about how the government did this or didn’t do that, or how their lives are so miserable because they couldn’t find a summer job this year and the neat new accessories they wanted to purchase for their iWhatevers or PS3’s or Xboxes are so expensive!

SOME of them go on about the war in Afghanistan or Libya and blame them on our government or the ‘oil corporations’ while conveniently ignoring that Canadians have been fighting and dying to restore peace to those far off lands, not for oil – news flash! – we have oil! But rather for the good of the people there.

Stepping back for a moment, I guess I can bring myself to understand where they’re coming from. Now wait, before you try to tar and feather me, think about it for a moment. All they hear from most news media outlets today is how some politician did this or that and how we blindly follow the Americans no matter what.

Do these young people know the cold chill of an air raid siren’s wail, warning that waves of bombers are about to drop tons of bombs on the very town or city they live in?

Have they ever had a teacher suddenly shout, Duck and cover!’ sending them to crouch under their school desks while they picture the infamous video of a house, first turning black from the heat and then disintegrating as the blast from a nuclear explosion hits it and wonder if that is what is about to happen to them?

Have they watched as the young girl who lived next door DARED to show up at school one day, only to be drug from the building and…

No, for most of them, the biggest problem they’ve had to endure recently was their Blackberry’s not working for a day or two. They fight back against what they think are horrible lives by ‘occupying’ places while claiming it is their way of changing things. And yet, how many of these people voted in the last election, or the one before that, or ever?

Hopefully, if they happen across a veteran who might have suffered horrible burns during WW-II while piloting a Hurricane or Spitfire, defending that city or town from those bombers, or a veteran from the Korean War who may have crouched in a foxhole on some frozen hill, waiting for hoards of men intent on killing him to rush his position, they will thank them.

Or if they run into a veteran who might have endured isolation and cold you can’t imagine while manning a radar station in the frozen Canadian north, making sure the bomber carrying that nuclear weapon didn’t obliterate their children’s school, or a younger veteran, perhaps their own age, whose eyes show a pain they will never understand, because they saw what happened to that little girl who dared go to school, they will thank them.

But please, don’t complain about your Blackberry not working right, or if you do, understand why they look at you sadly and walk away.

We live in the best country in the world at the best time, but damn it all, most of us are simply too spoiled rotten to realize it.

http://www.daniellittle.com/

Halifax Shipyards & Atlantic Canada Win! (and something about nuclear submarines)

I think I’m still in shock. Halifax really did win the contract for building the bulk of new warships for the Royal Canadian Navy and there was virtually no fallout from the decision. So, to reiterate, the selection of shipyards was based purely on merit – which yard could do the job best - and NOT based on politics. I wanted to wait before commenting because I was sure there would be fallout or a re-examination of the decision process or…something! But no, other than the interim NDP leader’s comments - what choice did she have being where their power base is now - nothing. Everyone seemed to look at the decision and simply say, ‘Yup, makes sense to me.’

Forgive me for being sceptical, but in spite of never doubting for a moment that Halifax Shipyards was obviously the best choice, having seen what’s happened in the past, I honestly expected the contract would go to Quebec. Especially with the 11th hour ‘dealing’ that was going on with Davie Shipyards and the extension added to the submission deadline so they could throw together a bid.

Like most of you who may have watched the decision announcement on television, I held my breath; knowing what should happen but hoping we here in the land of Bluenoser’s would receive at least the second, smaller contract. There was a moment’s hesitation as the translations were being messed up as usual, but the site of everyone literally going nuts at the Halifax Shipyard made me realize that what I had thought impossible had just happened.

A Canadian Federal Government had decided that enough was enough and had ensured the contract – the largest ever in Canada – would go where it SHOULD go and followed through to make sure that would happen.

What this will mean to Nova Scotia and indeed all of Atlantic Canada has been well documented so I won’t go into that here. Suffice it to say that the Royal Canadian Navy can be assured that they will once again be sailing the BEST warships in the world if they are sent in harms way.

Oh, and the peaceniks of course aren’t happy. They are already out there with their screams of, ‘Imagine what that money would buy…’ They are right of course. Imagine what that money could buy in a perfect world. It would be wonderful to see it poured all over the 99% (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself) but our world is far from perfect and we need to make sure that we have the ability to defend our freedoms and values – oh, and their right to complain about our military defending their right to…well, you get the picture.

In a 'slightly' related story, the CBC yesterday (October 28th) announced that the Harper Government was looking at buying nuclear submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy. That will teach Minister of Defence, Peter MacKay to dare verbalize his dreams. A mere suggestion of his sent our national broadcaster into a fury and the comments on their website were totally insane. Canada of course, is not buying nuclear submarines, but on the other hand, it was kind of fun to watch people who hadn’t bothered to read through the whole article dive off the deep end.

Of course many of them went on the usual rant about how Canada has never been involved with nuclear weapons and why would we start now. I would ask them to Google Canadian Nuclear Weapons. I would also suggest thet they be sure to sit down when you do because if Peter MacKay’s musing set them off, they’re really not going to like what they find out about our 'Peace Keeping' efforts during the Cold War.

http://www.daniellittle.com/

Where Were You on 9/11

Where were you on 9/11?

It is hard to believe that ten years has passed since that fateful day which will always be known simply as 9/11. There is no need to add the year. Everyone knows which September 11^th is being refered to.

I remember that day clearly. A friend and I had arrived in Virginia Beach, Virginia late in the afternoon on September 10th.

Va Beach is a great spot if you’re looking for beaches and sun. If you’re into military history, especially of the nautical variety, this is your Mecca. With the Norfolk Naval Base, the largest in the world to the west and MasterJet Base, NAS Oceana, to the southwest, for picture taking and touring of military installations, this is the place to be, and nicely sandwiched in between is Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, a US Navy SEAL base.

September 10th, 2001 Virginian-Pilot

Arriving at Virginia Beach, I grabbed the local paper as usual to see what might be going on of interest and chuckled at the front page story. People who had built their homes alongside the Oceana Air Station were complaining that the jets were noisy. They were right about that! Pretty stupid place to build or buy a home if you enjoy peace and quiet. There are always aircraft flying overhead in this area; a combination of civilian jetliners bringing in the newest load of tourists with a sprinkling of US Navy jets flying to and from the aircraft carriers based at Norfolk (or just beating up the beach). The focus of the story was the new (at that time), even noisier, F-18 Super Hornets which were on their way. See the Sept 10^th front page of the Virginian Pilot to the right. Twenty four hours later, this same scene would be welcomed beyond all immagination.

September 12th, 2001 Virginian-Pilot

Enjoying the rest of the day, we relaxed in preparation for the busy day ahead and turned in early. As usual, I was up at dawn watching as they raked and cleaned the miles of beach in preparation for another day (seriously – they do this EVERY morning). Later, I turned the TV to CNN, my usual morning ritual, and was amazed to see an image of one of the World Trade Centre towers with smoke streaming from it. Hearing the talking head indicate that an aircraft had flown into the tower, my first thought was how could a pilot make that kind of mistake?

As I tried to see from the damage what kind of plane it might have been, a blur from the left caught my eye but before I could focus on what it was, an explosion blew out from the side of the other tower.

Yelling at my friend to come quick I stared in disbelief at the screen. The CNN people were doing no better and sat there for a few moments, not knowing what to say or do.

Amphibious Base Little Creek

Like so many that morning, we just sat there mesmerized as the information started to trickle in. The Pentagon had been hit. Another aircraft had gone down somewhere – they weren’t sure where yet but thought it was in rural Pennsylvania.

A few hours later, we finally tore ourselves from the TV to go find something to eat and upon stepping outside; the first thing that struck us was the silence. The endless stream and roar of passenger planes was gone and all that flew over the city was a pair of US Navy F-18 Hornets. I remember pointing out the missiles on their wingtips and hanging beneath their fuselages – definitely not the blue practice ones.

Smoke over Manhattan from the towers on the way Home

That evening we watched as an aircraft carrier left Norfolk heading out to sea. We later learned it was headed north to defend the coastal areas around NYC. Needless to say the tours of military bases were now out. Their entrances were soon blocked by concrete and in the case of Little Creek, a large vehicle with a large gun.Who needs Jersey Barriers when you have a few tracked military vehicles around.
 

The terrorists should have studied their history. Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's comment after Pearl Harbour certainly would apply to them; "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." It took many years, but that resolve finally paid off with the elimination of Osama bin Laden. The war on terror continues and as we see country after country eliminating their dictatorial leaders, there is hope that one day, the world will be at peace.

To those who lost friends and family on that day, 

our thoughts are still with you.

To those men and women who are fighting the war on terrorism today, 

our gratitude and prayers follow you.

www.daniellittle.com

INVASION!

Monday, June 6^th marks the anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in military history. When allied forces landed on France that morning, it was the culmination of a plan so complex that many doomed it to failure from the beginning. It is hard to imaging what General Dwight D Eisenhower had to overcome, trying to coordinate the allied leaders into focusing on one goal – the liberation of Europe. Working with the various personalities involved in the planning stages, many with huge, easily bruised egos, must have seemed as daunting a task as the breaching the Atlantic Wall itself.

Once the planning was completed and the time table set in place, the responsibility for the operation’s success passed on to the men and women who would play a part in the invasion itself. From the soldier puking his guts out in a landing craft bouncing on the waves, to the French resistance fighter hanging precariously from a pole while cutting a telegraph line, to the cooks aboard the ships bombarding the coast who made sure the gunners were fed, their actions that day made a difference.

We sometimes get caught up in the overall image of the invasion in all its magnitude and forget that the real story is made up of many small stories – all involving a person striving to do their duty while at the same time, trying to stay alive.

On this anniversary, when we will see the usual images of fleets of ships, waves of aircraft and swarms of men fighting across the beaches, look closely and note the individuals and imagine what is going through that person’s mind as they sail, fly, run across the beach or parachute into the darkness. Are they thinking of their families back home? Hoping they don’t let their comrades down? Perhaps they are just saying a prayer that they make it through this day.

They are probably not wondering if many decades later, ‘Will anyone remember me and the sacrifices I made today?’

On Monday, stop for a moment and honour their memories. They did not fight just to free France or even Europe. They fought for the freedom of men and women everywhere and on the morning of June 6^th, 1944, every single one of them, even those who paid the ultimate price, won that battle.

For information on Canada's roll in the invasion, please visit the Juno Centre by clicking here.

www.daniellittle.com

VOTE!

If you are reading this, you enjoy freedoms beyond the wildest dreams of citizens in many other countries. Tomorrow, May 2nd, is Election Day in Canada. In the time it would take many of you to enjoy a coffee break or have a quick snack, you can thank those responsible for the freedoms you enjoy by showing them the sacrifices they’ve made were not in vain by exercising your right to vote.

A few minutes out of your day to place an ‘X’ in a circle will show that you appreciate the hell some soldier experienced in a muddy, rat infested trench in France praying that the next shell or cloud of gas would pass him by.

It will indicate that you acknowledge the freezing cold and fear a member of the navy or merchant marine lived through while waiting for a torpedo to send him and his mates into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic where the chances of rescue were slim to none.

You will display appreciation for the airman who trapped in his burning aircraft fought desperately to escape, hoping his parachute was not aflame when he opened it.

That simple ‘X’ will be your way of saying that you respect the woman who flying alone through horrible weather made sure the aircraft she flew made it across the ocean, where it was so desperately needed.

If you can’t be bothered to show appreciation for those who lived and died so you would have that right, then turn off your computer, turn off your cell phone and imagine your TV receiving only one, government controlled channel. Pretty scary, eh?

Show that you appreciate your freedoms. Get your butt to the polling station tomorrow and vote! Not sure where to go? Click here

It's Election Time!

What’s that? You’re not going to vote this time? You don’t see the point because nothing ever changes? You don’t like the people who are running, so why bother?

You need to go visit your local Legion.
Walking in, you find a Canadian Army vet from WW-II sitting at the bar. He listens to you but is distracted by the memories of when he landed on Juno Beach during the D-Day invasion. While you’re speaking to him, his mind may wander to how he had to jump off the landing craft and try to run across the beach while machinegun fire and artillery shells exploded around him tearing his friends to shreds. He might be remembering how after finally reaching a temporary safe haven against a rock, a dune or maybe a wall, how his thoughts had been a mixture of fear, sadness for his friends, and a hope that this hell he was going through was worth it and would make a difference in the future.

You’ll probably think he’s ignoring you and get up to walk away. That is when you might notice that he is missing a leg.

Hey! There’s a Royal Canadian Air Force vet. He seems friendly enough. I bet he’ll listen to you and understand why you don’t want to bother taking time from your busy day to vote. Ah, but wait; there’s that far off stare again. Perhaps he is remembering the last time he strapped himself into a Spitfire, Typhoon or maybe it was a Lancaster or Halifax bomber. I bet in his mind he’s adjusting his oxygen mask and saying a short prayer as he always did that if enemy shells did hit him, he would be killed instantly. You see, it takes a long time for an aircraft to fall from ten or twenty thousand feet and while it is, the fire is reaching for you while you try to unfasten the harness which moments before had kept you safely in the seat. The lucky ones make it out and hit the silk although sometimes not before battling the fire that is devouring their aircraft.

Sensing you there (his pilot’s instincts are still sharp all these years later), he turns towards you and apologizes for seeming to be distracted. You notice the side of his face which had been hidden from you is badly scared. You buy him a drink and wish him a good day before turning away in embarrassment.

Moving across the room, you see a man sitting alone at one of the tables. Asking if you can join him, he waves towards the empty chair across the table in response and says hello. He is wearing what you surmise is a Canadian Navy hat. A faded old badge containing a silver anchor surrounded by gold leaves below a crown is attached to the front of it and you wonder if that signifies anything. Seeing how your first two attempts at conversations went, you decide to start off by talking about the weather and how it’s finally starting to warm up. As though that were a queue, he starts telling you about his service in the North Atlantic aboard a Corvette. Not sure what that is, you ask and he laughs, explaining that it is a small ship; crowded, cold, always wet and that it bobs around on the waves as though its only purpose is to see if it can make you fall overboard. Then the smile disappears from his face as he remembers a friend who was washed over the side one stormy night in mid-winter. There was no stopping or turning back to search for the missing man as enemy submarines prowled these waters and a stopped ship was a dead ship.

You start to stand, but the old man reaches out and places a calloused hand upon your arm. Wait, he says obviously enjoying having someone to talk to. Perhaps it is curiosity, or maybe you are starting to ‘get it’, whichever it is, you ask him what it was like. He waves over to the bartender and orders you a drink before beginning his story. You sit in silence, devouring his words. He was just a kid when he lied about his age to get into the navy. After training, he was sent to Halifax where he met his first ship, an already worn out Corvette. The blue and white paint, long faded had been touched up so many times it was hard to tell what colour she had been. He laughs out loud as he tells you about the wooden pole mounted where a gun should be. He leans forward and smiles as he tells you how it didn’t matter – the sharp bow of his old Corvette was all it took to slice a submarine that had foolishly surfaced in front of them, in two, forcing it and her crew to the bottom. He raised his glass at that moment, but didn’t take a drink. You look at him and seeing the expression on your face, he smiles again, explaining that all men who die at sea are brothers. He carries on with the story of his young life; telling about seeing ships of the convoy they were escorting blowing up in the darkness but also the joy of seeing at least some of them make it to England where the food they carried was so desperately needed.
Sliding today’s paper over towards you, he points to a story. Those people in Libya, he says, same thing. Fighting and dying for their freedom. I wish I were young again and could go over there and help them… His eyes close and he seems to be deep in thought. You stand, and turn to leave, but stop. Turning back towards the old man, you reach out your hand, thanking him for all he did. Taking your hand in his, he thanks you for listening and gives you a knowing smile. It’s as though he’s known all along what you were there for.

Instead of leaving, you go invite the soldier and airman over to the sailor’s table and order all of them a round of drinks and sit down again. A few hours later, you return to your safe little home and turning on the computer, you go to the Elections Canada webiste and find out where to vote.

You get it now. It’s not about the politicians and it sure as hell isn’t about any inconvenience for you to go mark an ‘X’ on a piece of paper. It’s about the men and women who died so you could have the right and freedom to do so.

www.daniellittle.com

HMCS Corner Brook Headed West

On February 25th, I was enjoying a break at my desk and decided to take a quick look at what was transiting the Panama Canal at their webcam.

Lo and behold, a submarine was making its way through the Miraflores Locks! Upon closer scrutiny, I thought it REALLY looked like one of our Victoria’s which could only have been HMCS Corner Brook as she was currently the only boat in the water.

The Trident - www.tridentnews.ca/ - contained an article on Corner Brook’s trip to the west coast for maintenance as per the new agreement with CSMG in Victoria. Although this contract originally met with controversy, it really only made sense as over time we will probably see a large majority of Her Majesty’s Canadian Warships moved to the west coast.

Let’s face it – the Cold War is over and there are far more countries with questionable intent along the Pacific Rim then along the Atlantic coasts.

Meanwhile, back to HMCS Corner Brook, I grabbed a screen shot of her going through one of the locks. You'll see a ‘cover’ was erected atop her sail which is necessary in that area to protect you from the hot sunshine, or drenching rain.

Hopefully the boat’s work will proceed quickly and she will soon be sailing the oceans again.

I Say, Sorry Old Chap, But We'll Build Our Own

The Conservative government has announced that there will be no partnership with the British in the design and building of new warships to replace the Halifax class frigates (yes boys and girls, it’s time to be thinking of that already).

This is a great move on the government’s part for two reasons:

1) We want our warships designed for OUR sailors and THEIR needs.
2) We always have and still can build the best warships in the world.

This is not a new fighter plane requiring technology we no longer posses. That sad fact cannot be reversed now, but when it comes to warships, Canada stands proud. When the St. Laurent class of destroyers slid down the ways in the 50’s, they were the best anti-submarine ships in the world. The Iroquois class ships are the epitome of multi- functionality, and when the current Halifax FFG’s hit the water, they were the best in the world in their class.

I have no doubt that history will repeat itself and the newest warships to be stamped Made in Canada will do our Navy proud. Hey, once we have what we need, maybe we can look at building and selling a few to the Brits assuming they want the very best. Sadly for them, the best will only be available in Canada (with apologies to Red Rose).

...and so this is Christmas

Once again it is that time of year when everything and everyone seems to be a little more at peace (Shopping malls excluded of course). I want to take this opportunity to wish all of the men and women serving in the various branches of the Canadian Forces & Coast Guard a Merry Christmas. No matter where you serve, from the headline making war in Afghanistan to the lowliest outpost in the north, know that you are remembered and thought of.

As NORAD tracks Santa on his trip around the world, it is comforting to know that I am protected by a dedicated group of people serving the best country in the world; from the Chief of the Defence Staff to the Canadian Ranger riding his snowmobile across the frozen north.

To those who serve and who have served, I thank you, and wish you the very best of the season and a prosperous and safe New Year.

Daniel L Little

Dang! Lost another Poppy!

Another Remembrance Day has come and gone. Some Canadians honoured our Veterans by wearing a Poppy – well, numerous Poppies as they were lost and replaced over the past couple of weeks. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from those easily lost Poppies…

Like the Poppies that seem so fragile as they hang from our clothing this time of year, the rights and freedoms bought for us by our Veterans are just as fragile and as with the Poppies, they can just as easily be lost if we become too complacent.

So as another Remembrance Day passes, don’t forget to remember our Veterans and those who still wear the uniform today defending our freedoms. Honour them, not just now, but all year long as the sacrifices made by so many did not take place on one day alone. Let us remember them every day and when you see a Veteran or member of the Canadian Armed Forces, thank them for their service or buy them a coffee. It’s the least we can do for all they have done.

And always remember how fragile that little Poppy was in November and how easily it slipped unnoticed from your clothing.