On May 1, 9:43 pm, Cato wrote:
From Cato, just a dumbass Canuck, (according to some people)

A small group in Michigan U.S.A. called M.A.C.V. (Michigan
Association of Concerned Veterans), felt that their Canadian brothers
and sisters, who gave their lives for the lives of others deserved to
be recognized and accounted for, at home in Canada. This small group
of Veterans proceeded to make this dream a reality, They fought
through the many hardships that comes with caring, they designed,
built, and donated the memorial to be placed on Canadian soil, making
this Memorial very special to the families of those who gave their
lives for the freedom of others.

HUMAN FACTOR

More important than the money and supplies, however, is the human
factor. From the time the United States officially entered the Vietnam
war in 1959, at least 40,000 Canadians enlisted with the U.S. armed
forces.

In order to enlist Canadians had to give a U.S. city or town as their
place of residence. After the war this created a major problem as
there were no records of Canadians who had served in Vietnam. Through
extensive research some, but not all, volunteers were identified.

Because of this the number of Candians who volunteered is believed to
have been closer to 80,000.

The Canadian government considered Vietnam to be a "friendly state".
Under the Foreign Enlistment Act it was illegal for Canadian nationals
to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any
foreign state at war with any friendly state. Most Canadians who
enlisted were not aware that they were, in fact, breaking Canadian
law.

WHY VOLUNTEER

Why did Canadians volunteer to go to Vietnam and fight in a war not
sanctioned by their country?

For John G. Radcliffe, it was "the right thing to do." The idealistic
young man from Winnipeg, Manitoba enlisted in January 1969 at the age
of 21.

Prior to enlisting Radcliffe dropped out of university where he had
been studying mathematics and physics. After spending almost a year in
England he returned to Canada with the plan to enlist in the U.S.
military. He wanted to join the Special Forces because "if you are
putting your life on the line, you want to be with the best."

"I felt it was time for people such as myself to stand up and be
counted.," said Radcliffe. "Being born after the end of WW II, I grew
up in the midst of confrontation after confrontation, between the west
and the communists. It started with Korea, of course, but I do not
remember anything about that war except, perhaps, the things that were
picked up after the fact, either on TV or comic books. I remember my
parents stockpiling canned goods as advised by the Canadian government
in anticipation of possible nuclear war. I also participated in air
raid drills at school."

After enlisting at a recruitment centre in Fargo, North Dakota,
Radcliffe was deployed to Vietnam in August 1969. Instead of Special
Forces, he ended up as a U.S. army-combat Still Photographer, assigned
to the 221st Signal Company, 40th Signal Battalion. He was initially
based in Long Binh, III Corps, and subsequently went to Phu Bai and
then Da Nang in I Corps.

During 14 months in Vietnam Radcliffe's belief that this was the right
thing to do never waivered.

"We were still fighting against an authoritarian regime which was
attempting to impose its will on a group of people who were not and
did not want to be communist."

COMING HOME

After serving their tours of duty Canadian Vietnam veterans were all
but ignored by their country. Not considered war veterans by their
government, they were forced to seek medical treatments in the United
States for any illnesses relating to their time in Vietnam. Many vets
disabled in the war did not realize they were eligible for benefits.
Only through dogged determination by veterans on behalf of their
fellow vets were those who needed aid able to receive it. Some never
did receive help and have been forced to deal with their issues
completely alone.

When Radcliffe returned home he "found it difficult to sleep for about
five years without bolting upright at the slightest sound." He did
not seek professional help for this because "no one had heard of Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder then."

No official recognition has ever been paid to Canadians who
volunteered to fight in Vietnam. Canada's Department of Veteran's
Affairs would not even accept deceased Canadian Vietnam veteran's
because they fought for the U.S. military in Vietnam. The government's
position: Vietnam was not a war.

There is no official war memorial commemorating Canadians who
sacrificed their lives in Vietnam. Former Public Works Minister David
Dingwall was once quoted in a letter stating: "No federal site will
be provided for such a monument because the Vietnam conflict was not a
Canadian war."

Radcliffe views Dingwall's response as "typical of politicians --
hypocritical. They pretend to not know that Canadians did volunteer to
go to Vietnam, and they conveniently forget that Canada quietly
provided logistical support for the war effort under NORAD."

A war memorial was erected by a small group of Michigan veterans to
recognize those Canadians who served in Vietnam. Dubbed the North
Wall, it sits in Assumption Park in Windsor, Ontario overlooking the
Detroit River. On the wall are 103 names of known Canadians who died
in Vietnam, as well as the names of seven people listed as missing in
action.

On the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington 104 Canadians are among the
58,206 names inscribed on the wall.

That Canada has countrymen who volunteered to go to Vietnam often
comes as a surprise to the majority of Canadians. This is due, in
part, to the fact that most Canadian Vietnam veterans are very
reluctant to talk about their experiences. All but ignored by their
government, and treated with indifference by the media, they believe
that no one really wants to know or understand why they volunteered
their services to this cause.

Their experiences are part of Canadian history and deserve to be
recognized. These Canadians believed in freedom and saw in South
Vietnam the need to protect that freedom from the threat of communism.
Yet their commitment, bravery and sacrifice has been ignored.

Today Radcliffe, who holds a B.A. (Honours) First Class from the
University of Manitoba, an M.A. from Queen's University (Kingston),
and a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburg (Scotland), is a lecturer
at the University of Toronto. He still believes he was right in going
to Vietnam.

"I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of doing. I still
believe it was the right thing to do and have seen nothing since then
to confirm that I am wrong."
-- L.D. Pritchard © 2006

Cato

Cato,

Thank You - For this insight into an aspect of the Vietnam
War that I did not know concerning Canadians who served
in Vietnam. America and Americans OWE Every Veteran
would Served our Nation a Great Debt of Graditude for
Protecting Our Freedoms both in Peace and War.

God {Allah} Bless Each and Every One of Our Veterans - Amen. ~ RHF
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