Sleep deprivation has a way of making people second guess what they see and hear. It was one of those pre-caffeine moments that caused a second and third take at a Canada AM story this past Tuesday.
There, in full colour, were dozens of young men (for the most part) lined up in camouflage and helmets waiting for “Call of Duty.” They seemed excited, hamming it up a bit for the cameras as they marched into what turned out to be a store selling a video game – Call of Duty: Black Ops.
They had waited much of the night to be first to get a copy of the new thriller video game. That the official launch fell two short days before Remembrance Day can hardly be considered a mere coincidence. We find that aspect of the launch revolting. For a national Newscaster to make it a News item rubs salt in what passes for poor News judgement. But, alas, we bit, too.
Perhaps it is our sensitivity for military service and the appreciation we feel for men and women that gathered in lines decades ago to accept a genuine call of duty. For veterans, their enlistment was a matter of urgency to fight to preserve democracy in Europe. Since that time, many others have joined in protection of that freedom in conflicts around the globe.
While gamers revel in their digital dexterity and mastery of a video version of reality, their only risk is a reboot or start over. For veterans, shell-shocked and suffering from critical incident stress, there is little consolation for missing limbs. Even our own government has walked away over the years.
The latest insult comes in the form of lump sum payments, rather than long-term pensions. Last weekend veterans from other conflicts turned out to support soldiers from recent struggles like Afghanistan and Iraq who got their payout for limbs. The Canadian government continues to ask much of its military family, but remains unwilling to accept the true cost of joining fights overseas, which, arguably, are not ours to fight.
As one protestor’s sign stated, “Billions for jets, pennies for vets”. From what we have read and digested, all parties in Ottawa were complicit with the proposal, perhaps seeing an up-front payment as a more humane way to handle the individual’s suffering, with little regard for later years. If our government is going to send them overseas then it should be prepared to accept responsibility for them on their return, for the long haul.
We remain privileged to know many veterans and descendants who actively honour the war dead and sacrifice of soldiers. Through selling poppies, maintaining Legions, improving cenotaphs, and family trying desperately to chronicle stories from soldiers who served before they perish from old age, people still care.
That sentiment needs to become a louder chorus, so politicians and the bureaucrats who manage Veteran Affairs get the message that Canadians do appreciate the efforts of men and women called to duty.
