The Horrors of War Endure

(Aired on April 9, 2010)

On days like this, as we mark the 93rd anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, I always find myself a little conflicted.  While I fully honour the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country, my mind is constantly drawn to the horrors rather than the glory of war.  I battle the urges to keep myself willfully ignorant of what happens a world away.

This week, the website WikiLeaks posted the video of a 2007 mistaken American attack on civilians in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad.  From the sky, the American helicopter crew identifies a group of people on the ground believed to be insurgents, and fires away.  Of course, the so-called insurgents turned out to be civilians.  The supposed weapons they carried were actually cameras belonging to a pair of Reuters journalists.

A mistake is one thing, but the way this was handled is more than outrageous.  The airmen were absolutely bloodthirsty as they picked off their supposed enemy.  They shot indiscriminately, and then killed the rescuers who rushed to the aid of the wounded.  In the wake of this horrific event, the gunsight video was not released until two-and-a-half years after the initial freedom of information request.

Incidents like these happen more often than we are led to believe.  And while the actions of the Americans are of course reprehensible, it is incumbent on politicians not to chart a course where so much is left in the hands of those who are so brave yet so frail.  This week's announcement that United States and Russia have agreed to each reduce their nuclear arsenals by one-third is a good start.  But armed with the knowledge that we can still blow up the earth a half-dozen times over, there is far more progress to be made.  After all, to remember is to work for peace.