Dear America, Do nations read letters from nobodies? Probably not. But there’s something that today, I wanted you to know. I am proud to call myself a Canadian. I wouldn’t trade my country for anything. I am not American. But I hurt with you anyways. For over a decade. 12 years ago, I was a newlywed. Living my life in Northern Alberta until one day after the long bus ride to the depot and walk home after a 9 hour shift at the shelter downtown, I collapsed asleep on my bed just after 8a.m. without changing. And that’s how September 11th, 2001 found me, after a phone call woke me up less than an hour later, watching the horror of the 2nd tower get hit while still in my nursing scrubs, sitting in my living room on a pile of laundry. And even though I am not American, not only could I not understand the unspeakableness of what the news was showing me, I acutely aware that this day was going to somehow change my life, here, completely. I couldn’t reach DH, I didn’t even try. He was in the bush training with a military competition team he was a part of. I wondered if he knew, if he was watching. Would he come home at all? Would reaction be immediate? Was there anything we could do? Had this been a third world country that was the victim, I have no doubt our Canadian Forces would have mobilized a disaster assistance team to be there as we have done for dozens of countries in need before and since then. But instead this was arguably the most powerful country in the world we were watching face this attack and the…
In Canada, when a soldier serves 12 years of Service (you know, without getting in too much trouble or breaking any laws….) they get a medal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forces_Decoration It is called the CD. Canadian Forces Decoration. You don’t have to do anything beside be a soldier for 12 years to get it (which, don’t get me wrong, is a pretty important!). Once you recieve it, you even get to put a C.D. after your name on important documents. Pretty fancy shmancy. Needless to say (or this post would have no point but to bore you with military medal trivia), DH reached his 12 years last weekend. That doesn’t mean he has the medal now, that will take however many months of paperwork and the like. But, it means he is eligible. 12 years ago he walked into the Recruiting Center with his mom and dad, having completed his enlistment process while he was still in highschool and stood there just after his 18th birthday to make the final step… Swearing his Oath to the Queen and Country before shipping off to Basic Training. October 8, 1999 And I remember it then, because I remember him then. I didn’t get to go to the Swearing In. It was for family only and I was just a girlfriend. A highschool girlfriend, no less, I am sure that it was assumed the relationship would be short lived once he was actually out the door. But I was there for everything else. I was there the night before he got on the plane, sitting in a park by ourselves when he asked if I was going to wait for him and I cried. Oh, how long 12 weeks…
