December 29, 2008
Why we must remain strong for Afghanistan...
Canadian military casualities in Afghanistan and the resilience of modern Canadians:
What have we become as a nation?
Some interesting perspectives:
So far this year, Canada has suffered 25 military casualties in Afghanistan, with a total of 100 dead over 6 years since 2002.
Contrast this with the 24 Canadians murdered on 9/11 in 40 minutes.
World War 2 losses on D-Day alone:
- 340 killed
- 574 wounded
- 47 taken prisoner
In the Normandy area of France where fighting raged from June until August 1944, some 5,002 Canadians were killed in action, 70 Canadian soldiers killed in action on every single day of the battles that took place there.
In the Italian Campaign:
- 5,900 dead and 19,500 wounded in Sicily and Italy from July 1943 to May 1945 over 660 days of battle.
- 562 Canadians killed in Sicily over 26 days of fighting.
- 164 Canadians killed in 12 hours at the Lamone River Crossing.
In the Far East:
- 291 Canadian soldiers killed at Hong Kong from the 18th to the 25th of December, 1941. An average rate of 42 for every day of the battle.
- Another 260 died as Prisoners of War from 1942-45.
World War 1 losses in France in just three battles in 1915 and 1917:
- Passchendaele (26th October to 15th November, 1915): 5,000 killed and 10,000 wounded.
- Battle of Ypres in 1915: 2,000 dead and 4,000 wounded in 2 days.
- Battle of Vimy Ridge April 9th to 12th, 1917: 3,598 dead and 10,000 wounded in 3 days.
In Korea from Feb 1951 to July 1953: 516 Canadians killed and 1,550 wounded.
And in 2008, Toronto has nearly 60 homicides. The bulk, according to Police, are gang-related.
Before the year is out, Canada will have over 600 murders from province to province.
