We commemorate 100 years of sacrifice, the beginning of the war to end all wars, the Great War, World War One.
My grandfather was a pilot, flying a French spad for the RAF. He flew longer than almost any Canadian pilot (24 weeks) and suffered much as a POW.
The war itself was a waste of Canadian lives. We were unneeded, our contribution was irrelevant to the outcome, but its harms were immeasurable, and the effects are felt to this day.
We are compelled to commemorate war, yet we are never able to talk about the geo-political reasons for it, or the damages it leaves behind.
My grandfather returned with a terrible case of post traumatic stress disorder. How much of our modern life has been harmed by war without any real positive change in 100 years of conflict. It is time we questioned war. It is time we said no to war.
Dallas Collis
Parksville