A November to Remember

Volodymyr Kish

The year after the First World War ended, in November of 1919, King George V of England decreed that November 11 shall be observed as Remembrance Day, in honor of all those who perished in that monstrous man-made cataclysm. Most of the British Commonwealth of nations followed suit, with Canada establishing an Armistice Day on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. In 1931, the Canadian Parliament amended the original Armistice Day Act to permanently establish November 11 as an official national holiday to be known as Remembrance Day.

Of course, the so called “war to end all wars” didn’t live up to its initial label, and wars, both large and small have continued for most of the ensuing century. Remembrance Day commemorations today now pay honour to not only those countless lives sacrificed in the trenches of northern France, but to all those that succumbed in the battles, large and small, in World War II, the Korean War, the various conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans, as well as all those “peace keeping” missions that Canada has played such a prominent role in.

Ukrainians in Canada have played a significant role in all of Canada’s military campaigns since their earliest days of settlement in this fair country. Despite the unconscionable prejudice and willful historical ignorance that led to the internment of thousands of Ukrainians in Canada during the course of the First World War as so called “enemy aliens”, an estimated ten thousand Canadians still managed to serve with distinction in that war, with one Sgt. Filip Konowal earning the Victoria cross for outstanding bravery and valour.

During World War II, Ukrainians once again volunteered in droves to serve in the armed forces, with some 35,000 taking part in the conflict. To put it in proper perspective, that 35,000 represents 10% of the total Ukrainian population in Canada at that time. To me, that number takes on additional meaning in that one of those that enlisted at that time was my father, who during his two years’ service took part in campaigns in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

It was through him that I first came to realize that war was not the glorified adventure that I saw portrayed in comic books, TV shows and movies, but a life-shattering experience that wounds both body and soul. Although he was never short of stories about his time in the army, he would never talk about the actual fighting, killing and destruction that he witnessed. As he once said, it was better that I did not know about the gory details of the inhumanity and devastation that humans could inflict on one another.

Despite this blunt recognition that inevitably come to most that wind up serving in military conflicts, that tradition of Ukrainian Canadians serving in the military continues to this day, and it also continues to touch me personally. The son of one of our dearest friends has in recent years done several tours of duty in Afghanistan, and his stories and stark commentary have reinforced the brutal fact that despite all the advances in technology and tactics, war remains a cruel and bloody experience that takes a tremendous toll on its participants. Although we have gotten very efficient and capable at killing one another, I don’t think we will ever get over the moral and spiritual toll that doing so exacts on our psychological and emotional well-being.

On November 11, as we honour all those that sacrificed their lives for what they surely felt was a noble cause, let us not forget that there is a corollary to that commemoration. Yes, all those who sacrificed their lives should be deservedly honoured as the heroes they were. But, I am sure that the “torch” that they pass on into our hands would demand that we do our utmost to find better ways to resolve our differences and issues than resorting to the barbaric practice of killing each other. It would dishonor their memory if we learn nothing from the hell they went through and blindly continue to use death and destruction as the primary instruments of political and religious policy. If we cannot find better, more peaceful alternatives, then mankind will surely perish on this earth.