Thousands of Canadians served in the Vietnam War. These researchers are looking for them
If you are a Vietnam veter‐ an or have a family mem‐ ber who fought in the war, two researchers in Wind‐ sor, Ont., want to hear from you.
For their project, Be Coun‐ ted, they're developing a reg‐ istry of as many Canadian veterans as possible to record their information be‐ fore it's too late.
"Canadians who served were never recognized and I think it's time they were," said Keith Tracy, a U.S. army veteran who lives in Windsor, Ont., and one of the re‐ searchers.
The Vietnam War began unofficially in 1955, with the height of the conflict in the late 1960s. It ended April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon.
Canada did not have an official part in the war but tens of thousands of Ameri‐ cans fled to the country to avoid the draft.
What's not as well known is thousands of Canadians enlisted with the Americans, although the exact number isn't clear.
The Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association believes as many as 20,000 enlisted, but other estimates are twice as high.
Tracy has partnered with CJ Scott, a genealogist also in Windsor who is a member of the Canadian Vietnam Veter‐ ans Memorial Association, to help find veterans across the country as well as Canadians now living in the United States.
"We thought, you know, we can do this," said Scott.
Finding veterans a chal‐ lenging process
Finding veterans hasn't been easy. A number of them have passed away. Also, some haven't come forward be‐ cause of their reluctance to talk about taking part in the war.
"That has been a major problem," said Tracy.
"The Canadians came back to a country where peo‐ ple basically ignored or didn't know anything about the Vietnam War other than what they saw on TV. When they came back, most of them just put their uniforms in the cup‐ board, locked the door and forgot about it."
When the war started, Canadian James Mackay was studying in the United States to be a Franciscan monk. He ended up joining the military and was assigned to the American Special Forces.
"We weren't treated like [veterans] from World War II or World War I," said Mackay, who lives in Cape Breton, N.S. "We were called baby killers.
"The United States and Canada were very close and I was fighting for freedom, protecting the Vietnamese. At the time, [that's] the way I saw things," said the fourtime Purple Heart recipient.
Tracy and Scott hope their efforts to find veterans will get easier as American law‐ makers signed a resolution last year to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of Viet‐ nam War veterans and for‐ mally apologize for their treatment upon returning home.
There are also logistical challenges to finding Canadi‐ ans who served.
Scott has been research‐ ing death certificates, census records and voting lists. She has reached out to national and local historical organiza‐ tions and has been speaking with Royal Canadian Legion branches across the country.
Confidentiality laws have proved to be difficult, espe‐ cially accessing documenta‐ tion from the United States. She is currently researching about 70 cases.
"However, we know that there are thousands out there. We really need to get the word out," she said.
"Their name matters and if you don't have all the infor‐ mation, still reach out to us. We will do our best to get our own information and just make sure their names are remembered."
Homecoming planned for 2025
Their efforts to record Cana‐ dians who fought come be‐ fore the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
To mark the anniversary, a small group of people is invit‐ ing Canadians who served and their families to Windsor for July 6, 2025, as the Cana‐ dian Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also known as the North Wall, is located at the Detroit riverfront in the southwestern Ontario city's Assumption Park. The names of 173 Canadian soldiers who were killed or missing in ac‐ tion are inscribed on the granite.
Next year also marks the 30th anniversary of the mon‐ ument, which was erected in 1995 after a group of Viet‐ nam veterans from Michigan were inspired by Canadians who fought.
The black granite monu‐ ment has the same material used for the Vietnam Veter‐ ans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Mackay plans to travel from Nova Scotia to Windsor for the 2025 ceremony, to pay tribute to those who can't be there.
"I was very fortunate that I came home … lucky," he said.
Organizers of the anniver‐ sary event hope honouring those who fought will be a healing moment for veterans and their families after the years of not getting recogni‐ tion.
"The people that are still here, they are kind of experi‐ encing their own war. They are still battling what might be [post-traumatic stress dis‐ order], Agent Orange … they matter too." said Tracy.