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Winning War
4-19-2017
In this month (Rajab) the 100th anniversary of the significant historical event of the 'Birth of a Nation' being commemorated in both Canada and France with the ceremony that marks Canadian victory in the 'Battle of Vimy Ridge' that took place in the month April 9, -April 12, 1917.
The historians who spoke with Global News say it’s important to honor the soldiers who fought and died, but also to avoid the mythology that has clouded the horrors of Vimy".
The message of Vimy Ridge is one of bravery and sacrifice; commonly high lighted as a turning point in Canadian history.
"In the early hours of April 9, 1917, the bloody assault on German-occupied Vimy Ridge began and the ensuing four-day fight cost 3,598 Canadian lives and left 7,000 more wounded". The underscore the sacrifices made by Canada, which suffered 60,000 fatalities during the first world war".
No doubt winning a war is overwhelming 'happiness', but it comes with a big bitter price of loss of lives and sufferings.
Reading the detailed reports of battle of Vimy Ridge gives the true picture of horror of 'Wars'.
Only those Soldiers who went through the sufferings and painful life during the war and those who lost their loved ones can describe the real pain of horror of war. That is described in the following by the painful hearts.
"The bloodiest Day: As far as you could see, in any direction, there were men with rifles heading for that dreadful column of smoke and exploding earth ahead where the shells were falling": is how Vimy veteran Percy Taylor described the scene after whistles signaled the start of the advance. That day remains the bloodiest in Canadian history. Official records have April 9th, 1917 as the date of death for 2,414 Canadian soldiers: in most prior Canadian conflicts, that kind of death toll would have been beyond obscene:--in the context of the World War, Vimy was still a "cheap" victory".
"I never wore any of those bloody medals". "In September after much of the dead had been buried and the victors sent back into the line; Canadian MP Sir George Perley dropped by in a three-piece suit to see what Canadian boys had done. Even among the Vimy veterans who were proudest at what they achieved, that did not mean there wasn't also bitterness at why they had been asked to do it: "I got medals but I never wore any of those bloody medals--they didn't represent anything but a disgraceful episode". one of the last surviving Vimy veterans James Flanagan said in 1989.
Another veteran Roy Henley was only 14 when he fought at Vimy Ridge.
"When you see a man take a whiz-bang (High velocity shell) in the stomach, you loose a lot of patriotism". Henley said in a 1987 CBC documentary": Painful statement by Winnipeg mother C.S. Woods lost 8 sons in the war --she told King Edward VIII: "I just can't figure out why our boys had to go though that". (Ref:24 hrs. News-April 7, 2017).
Let us pray to Allah-Creator-GOD to remove all kinds of devastating calamities and suffering of people and protect us all.
Salaam/peace
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