The generals and the grunts

Re: “What’s next for army’s ‘warrior spirit’?; Military seeks new challenges for troops after Afghanistan,” the Journal, May 27. Canada is in a very sorry state when our armed forces must go looking for an enemy. This is the idea of the armchair generals, not those on the front line being shot at.

Most civilians pray that the guns would rust up without firing a shot so that none of our youth would be killed. And no so-called enemy would be killed, either.

Our government sent our armed forces into Afghanistan to appease President George W. Bush in his illconceived strike-back wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that our trade with the U.S. would not suffer. We ended up in the longest war in Canadian history, 158 Canadians killed, thousands of Afghans killed and Middle East countries hating Canada along with the U.S.

When our solders train for a mission they learn to kill and try to forget that they, themselves, may be maimed or killed. Those who do return home must be reprogrammed to civilian life. But too often this fails and society pays. We must provide the best medical help for the poor souls suffering from post-traumatic disorders.

Surely we can employ our returning soldiers to gainful employment as UN peacekeepers, fire and police workers or forces to assist in disaster relief. They will find excitement and fulfilment in this work.

Perhaps the generals are most concerned for the loss of the army’s “war spirit” because they feel they may be out of work. W. E. Stollery, Edmonton