Dieppe on the Vinyl Cafe

April 23rd, 2010 in American History by Duncan Rice

A while ago I made an entry that included a reference to a story about two Canadians visiting Dieppe. It’s from the CBC radio program The Vinyl Cafe. The story teller is Stuart Mclean. I found a link to the story on YouTube and Stuart Mclean is such a gifted story teller that I would like to share it. The piece is only six minutes long. Give it a listen – you won’t regret it. Here it is.

No Comments

Japan Investigates Unit 731 Atrocities

February 27th, 2010 in Uncategorized by Duncan Rice

Japan is contradictory when dealing with the darker side of its military history. The government issues numerous apologies for hardships caused by Japanese imperialism. For example, in 2009 the Japanese Foreign Minister apologised for the Bataan Death March. But Japan also denies its war crimes. In 2007 The Japanese Prime Minister stated that there is no proof that the Japanese during WWII forced women into prostitution. Japanese textbooks change in 2007 to eliminate reference to the role of the military in mass suicides. To the credit of the Japanese people 100,000 protested against the change.

The latest episode involves medical experiments carried out by Unit 731, commanded by Lieutenant General Shiro Ishii. Unit 731 conducted biological, chemical, and environmental experiments. Thousands of people, mostly Chinese but including some Russians and Americans, were subjected to tests including induced disease and live vivisection without anaesthesia. After the war members of Unit 731 were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for providing data from their experiments to the U.S. The Telegraph recently stated that Japan would examine bones found in 1989 believed to be from victims of Unit 731. They will also conduct a search for mass graves.

The war ended more than sixty years ago. The criminals received immunity. The original bones were found twenty years ago and put in storage. The Japanese have denied requests for DNA testing. Now the government wants to re-examine the evidence. Japan has a history of official denial and token apologies. Officials have overlooked the history of unit 731 and neglected the evidence. It will be interesting to see what the results of this investigation are. Japan making an official apology to the Chinese is unlikely. An offer for compensation is even less likely. However, perhaps the history of WWII will now include the atrocities of Unit 731. We can hope that this becomes common knowledge, as the Holocaust is. And perhaps that’s enough.

No Comments

What Do The Olympics And The Military Share?

February 15th, 2010 in Ethnic History by Duncan Rice

The 2010 Winter Olympics engender a lot of controversy. One controversy is the sale of Olympic torches by the torch bearers. David Munro is one of these people. But Munro is different. David Munro is a 72 year old veteran who served with UN forces patrolling the Gaza Strip in 1974. His service didn’t end with Gaza. On February 7, 2010 David Munro went on what he called, “…one of my last missions.” He carried the Olympic torch 300 meters and now he too hopes to sell his torch. The difference is that David Munro continues to serve his comrades. David has placed six homeless veterans in supportive housing. The money he raises through the sale of his Olympic torch will help reach his goal of eleven. David Munro exemplifies what is right about the Olympic games and embodies the values of our armed forces. You can read more about David Munro in this article from The Province newspaper.

No Comments

We Do Remember.

February 7th, 2010 in Ethnic History by Duncan Rice

People sometimes make offhand comments that our collective consciousness lacks remembrance. Society is accused of failing to hand down a proper respect for the armed forces. There is a perception that unless it’s Nov. 11 or a family member is involved that their sacrifice is forgotten. This belief is wrong and here are a few examples of why it’s wrong.

First, take a look at this Bell commercial. Yes, it’s a commercial designed to sell a product. But somewhere an executive remembered Dieppe and felt that this piece of remembrance would have enough emotional impact to be effective. This is a worthwhile reminder, regardless of its commercial intent.

A second example is from CBC’s Vinyl Cafe. This is a true story told by a gifted storyteller. Listen to it if you ever get the opportunity. This is another item added to our collective memory helping to pass down the remembrance of sacrifices made for our benefit.

Contemporary memorials can also be pointed out. There is a stretch of Highway 401 between CFB Trenton and the Toronto Coroners Office that Canadian casualties travel when they are repatriated. It became the location for a spontaneous shared ritual that calls out to our fallen soldiers as they return home from Afghanistan. It adopted the unofficial name of The Highway of Heroes some time ago. This wasn’t organised by any government or political group. You won’t see it used for photo opportunities – ever. It’s direct action by the people and is now held sacred. This action has had such a strong influence that the stretch of highway has officially been renamed The Highway of Heroes. Watch this video and you will see that – Yes, we do remember.

Highway of Heroes No Comments

So Many Books, So Little Time

January 29th, 2010 in Uncategorized by Duncan Rice

Confusion and frustration are not experiences that should belong to the pursuit of military history as a hobby. But they do crop up. Confusion confronts a person when he stands in front of a wall of titles. The bookstore I like to spend my days off in has two bookcases dedicated to military history. It also has cases for political science, Middle Eastern history, European history, Canadian history, and U.S. history. I see people standing in front of the stacks overwhelmed. Often I’m that person. The wealth and depth of titles is fantastic. But when confronted with a dozen books about D-Day which one do you go home with? Frustration hits when the history buff buys a book only to find that it’s just not right for him. It might be two hundred pages of information already known or it might be so far advanced that the reader fails to keep up. Sometimes the book gets put away unfinished. Sometimes hours are used up that could have been spent learning from a more enjoyable book. The solution is to find a few good reading lists. 

The U.S. Army Center for Military History Recommended Professional Reading List and The Canadian Army Reading List are my favorite resources. Each has a particular flavor depending on the country of origin. This will be especially evident in The Canadian Army Reading List. But take a look at them both. The lists contain a wide variety of books. You’ll find everything from Ernest Hemingway to Rick Atkinson, with all stops in-between. The Canadian Army Reading list even includes a large selection of fiction such as Robert Henlein’s Starship Troopers and George Fraser’s Flashman series. The pursuit of military history doesn’t always need to be academic. Finally, the lists are organised into a rank system. The CMH Recommended Professional Reading List describes this as targeted levels of experience and responsibility. For an amateur historian like myself this structure can be thought of as a guideline for the commitment required at each level. These lists aren’t exhaustive nor are they the only ones out there. They happen to be my two favorites. I suggest anyone interested in military history become familiar with these lists. Bookmark them. Print a copy and keep it in your book bag for easy reference next time you’re standing in front of the stacks at your favorite book seller.

Book lists, Books 3 Comments