Saturday, November 30, 2019

Of Close Combat And Lasting Effects

During the 1990s, in the wake of the civil wars raging in the former Yugoslavia, Canadian troops were part of the multinational effort to stop the fighting. At times that meant fighting for their own lives. This period is covered here in the museum with panels and artifacts.


9/11 would change the world. Canadians would go to war in Afghanistan, and step up military commitments in the Arabian Sea. Going Aboard is a painting by Bradford Douglas.


Canadians fighting in the Afghan War fought in close quarters and at a distance in a war that proved ferocious. Active participation in the war wound down in 2014, but the region itself remains unstable- and so the job feels unfinished. This area features panels, photographs, artifacts, and display screens that explore the story in depth.


Tomorrow I turn to the theme day, but I still have some posts from the War Museum to wrap things up, so we'll return here on the day after tomorrow.

26 comments:

  1. The Afghan War section would be interesting to me because for some reason what has gone on there isn't clear.

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  2. Interesting exhibits and information on wars at the museum. Happy weekend!

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  3. Yes. 9/11 changed the world indeed. In 1999 the USS Constellation was in Fremantle harbour and on her last trip. She was open to public and Hubby even took movies on there! (I sadly had my cam in the cabin).
    People were allowed to get in some of the planes, we could ask all kinds of questions - and got answers, too. Impossible today.

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  4. Since the siege and the fall of Srebrenica we don't have good memories of the war in former Yugoslavia.

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  5. I remember the feeling I had when Canada pulled out of Afghanistan. I can only imagine what the soldiers and their families felt.

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  6. i think it is interesting to see how the uniforms keep changing over the years. i wonder who gets that job? we see service men and women around here ... i recall them when i was young ... that has not been that many of yrs ago. i am curious. but i guess it is probably all hush hush. enjoy the weekend. gonna rain around here. waves. ( ;

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  7. Through your series, I've gained an appreciation of the sacrifices Canada has made during global conflicts. Janis GDP

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  8. @Maywyn: that's true.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Iris: impossible indeed.

    @Jan: for good reason.

    @Marie: me too.

    @Beth: too cold for rain here.

    @Francisco: thanks.

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  9. ...but I afraid that the mission will never be over!

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  10. America's longest war, and it's still not over. We are so lucky to have Canadians as allies.

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  11. What happened in ex Yogoslavia (for us nearly in front of the door) was a shame ! Atrocities were committed lots of people killed and everybody watched and didn't move a finger only when it was far too late and still ! The good thing is now they can make movies about the war and show it in museums !

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  12. The museum could be a depressing place to visit when you hear of war after war. I'm glad they have included the peace keeping.

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  13. 9/11 certainly did change the world in many ways.

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  14. This was a very stressful time for our military. It was a challenging situation and little was accomplished.

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  15. Another great post and war time photos ~

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

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  16. That a nice painting full of action.

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  17. An interesting exhibition with lots of info.

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  18. @Janis: we tend to punch above our weight.

    @Tom: possibly not.

    @DJan: it's been such a long one.

    @Gattina: Yugoslavia was a nightmare at the time.

    @RedPat: it can weigh heavily on the visitor, which is part of the point.

    @Sharon: the exhibits include a piece of one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. That really brings it home.

    @Red: that is true.

    @Carol: thank you.

    @Marleen: I agree.

    @Bill: that's true.

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  19. Wonderful exhibits. War does change our lives and our world.

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  20. My wife and I visited Slovenia after the breakup of Yugoslavia. I believe the war lasted just about nine days on the Slovene boarder with Croatia. We saw a centuries old monastery with a huge hole in the wall surrounding it. The hole was made by an invading Croatian tank. And the exterior walls of the monastery were pockmarked by machine gun fire. That said, we loved Slovenia and Slovenes seemed to love Canadians. It was a beautiful country and we were told the rest of the former Yugoslavia was an awfully fine place as well. Sadly some wonderful areas were left wasted by the war.

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  21. You've posted some excellent posts, and information, in this series William, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  22. It seems like it's never time for peace.

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  23. I remember watching the 9/11 when it was happening thinking it was an American disaster movie, there are so many of them, then realising when it was on every channel that it was real and actually happening live.. horrific! This is an informative series William, thank you ✨

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  24. It's odd but I remember the earlier conflicts better than the more recent Eastern European ones.

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  25. @Michelle: it does.

    @Rockinon: it was a terrible time.

    @Jan: you're welcome.

    @Kay: that may be.

    @Grace: it felt like a movie at first.

    @Jeanie: earlier conflicts are taught more extensively in schools.

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