Friday, November 29, 2019

Bringing Down The Berlin Wall

The Cold War came to an end in the dramatic fall of 1989 that would change so much in the world. One of the artifacts here in the War Museum is a section of the Berlin Wall.


The Canadian military took part in the first Gulf War, sending Navy and Air Force assets as part of the international coalition that would make up Desert Shield and Desert Storm.


Beyond the Gulf War, other missions, both peacekeeping and combat, are explored. I leave off for today with this panel from the Rwanda section. It was a Canadian general, Romeo Dallaire, who was designated commander of the multinational force sent to Rwanda. The world failed his warnings, and Dallaire and those under his command would see the worst of a bloody civil war and genocide that raged for months. 

38 comments:

  1. Yes, it was a fall. An opening would´ve been better, I think.
    And zippp... the next war. It will never stop, will it.
    I wish people were like these here.

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  2. Interesting artifacts and information.

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  3. On the 9th of November Germany has celebrated the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall. It sounds so nice but not all people were happy with that. Some lost their homes because they belonged to Western owners, women their jobs, because in Western Germany less women were working there are no day care and no whole day schools. It was for some a hard price to pay for the freedom. But in the moment the wall fell, everybody was so happy the troubles and the reality came later and are still visible ! The gap between the two Germanys was too big !

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  4. Dallaire is one of Canada's great heroes. The poor man will go to his grave haunted by Rwanda..

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  5. Unless you hav estood close up to the wall you can never feel how opressive it was. I stood face to face with it and felt scared, driving through the iron curtain pass the boarder posts scared the s*** out of me. I was glad when it went

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  6. ...I remember all of these times in history!

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  7. I visited the Berlin Wall in 1979. It was an oppressive feeling to face East German border guards in their towers on the other side of the wall.
    Ten years later I missed the actual fall of the Wall, because I had to work that night.

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  8. General Dallaire’s book about the genocide is quite haunting!

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  9. That wall was one of the biggest things to happen in my lifetime. (I have a scanned copy of the Ottawa postcard, but can't see how to send it).

    Janis

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  10. @Iris: it was tumultuous.

    @Nancy: quite so.

    @Gattina: I can imagine the differences still being there.

    @David: he will.

    @Bill: quite vivid.

    @Tom: most I know.

    @Jan: I was old enough when the Wall came down to have memories of it.

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  11. Hello, I remember this was a great time and historical event. Now, our country is putting up walls.

    Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend!

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  12. enjoy your Friday. i got lots to do today, day after Thanksgiving is so busy ... always enjoy my visits here William. take care and thank you for sharing. always enjoy learning ( ;

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  13. Time flies and the tragically the wars continue ✨

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  14. I hope there is a day in the future of humanity when we will not be at war with one another. I well remember the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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  15. And 30 years have gone by since the fall of the Berlin wall. After living in Germany for almost 6 years, in fact just about 60km from the East German border, that day we were on the plane flying back home when the pilot announced the wall had fallen. Everyone cheered.
    As for wars nothing seems to change, sadly they are still happening.

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  16. The day the Berlin Wall fell is one I still remember very well.

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  17. Have a friend who was at the wall when it went down. I believe he has one of the bricks from the wall

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  18. People from East Germany faced a lot of challenges at the time... and apparently still do.

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  19. Living during the time of the Wall, feels unreal and current at the same time.

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  20. Coincidentally, I was just looking up something about the Berlin Wall the other day...long story short, but I received a bunch of old ornaments marked 'East Germany' and ended up in a rabbit hole of history lol!

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  21. It is hard to believe that it finally came down after all of those years. Apparently Dallaire still suffers with his memories of Rwanda.

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  22. I remember the wall when it came down. It's amazing that it has been 30 years now.

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  23. @Marie: yes, I have it.

    @Janis: my lifetime too.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Eileen: walls don't work.

    @Beth: you're welcome.

    @Grace: that's true.

    @DJan: me too.

    @Jennifer: thanks.

    @Sami: a flight worth remembering.

    @Marleen: me too.

    @Red: wow!

    @Catarina: true.

    @Sharon: as do I.

    @Alexandria: me too.

    @Maywyn: definitely.

    @Jenn: odd!

    @Agnes: thanks!

    @RedPat: he does.

    @Bill: thirty years seems short.

    @Happyone: indeed.

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  24. I remember watching the wall first taken down on tv, doesn't seen like 30 years ago:)

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  25. Great to have a photo of a piece of the Berlin Wall ~ amazing event ~

    Happy Moments to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  26. I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall... it somehow doesn't seem like thirty years.

    All the best Jan

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  27. I remember that day so well. It's hard to believe it is thirty years already.

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