To the Editor,
Ottawa designated Friday, May 9 as the National Day Of Honour Commemorating The End Of Canada’s Military Commitment In Afghanistan. Nobody should ever forget any of the all-volunteer Canadian Forces who fought in that godforsaken hellhole, nor their families waiting anxiously at home.
The monetary cost of the mission has been estimated as around $18-billion; there were 40,026 military personnel deployed, and at least 10,000 served more than once. One hundred and fifty-eight paid the ultimate sacrifice; 2,179 suffered physical wounds of varying degrees, including horrendous maiming; an estimated 8,000 developed or will develop mental health conditions, already resulting in far too many broken lives, broken homes, and suicides.
While never forgetting those people, we have a right to question the end result of those years of war; so extremely costly to personnel, and to our nation’s coffers.
So here’s the question: was it worth it? Will the schools that were installed still be thriving in a few years’ time, and will women have some kind of rights? Has much changed with this 21st century invasion? I suspect an Afghani Day of Honour would look different.
Bernie Smith,
Parksville