Remembering the Human Costs of War

The following is the keynote address of Captain Ihor Kozak delivered at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Branch on November 5.  The speech was given in Ukrainian and English and the Ukrainian was translated into English for this printed version.

 The past year has gone by quickly and once more we find ourselves on the threshold of November 11, a date that is very important for every Canadian.

As an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces I have taken part in many commemorative ceremonies dedicated to Remembrance Day. But only  now, in preparing for this address, I have reflected deeply on what this day means for all of us and what it symbolizes for me in particular.

It is a well-known fact that Canada took an active part in both World Wars.  The extent of our country’s contribution, however, is largely unknown by the general population.  Approximately 620, 000 Canadians participated in the First World War, 60, 000 of which were killed and 172, 000 wounded.   During the Second World War, more than 1 million Canadians took an active part in military service, 47,000 of which never returned home and 52, 000 were injured. These are astonishing numbers, especially considering the fact that the population of Canada at that time was only 8 and 12 million, respectively.

It is paramount to realize that that the Canadians fighting and dying in Europe were predominately volunteers.  They did not have to join the military as there was no conscription in Canada (except for the ill-fated attempt in 1918).  They did not have to join the fight in Europe as their homes, land and families were not being threatened.  Yet, they did.  They went to fight for higher values, the freedom of others and a better world.

Some of them became decorated heroes, like Corporal Philip Konowal, who received the highest award for valour in the British Commonwealth, the Victoria Cross. Most others never received honours. Many never returned home. 

And then, there were those Ukrainian-Canadians who wanted to join the military, but were not allowed to do so and, in some cases, were even put behind bars, simply because they were originally from the Western Ukraine, which at that time was under the Austro-Hungarian occupation.  This injustice is yet to be corrected.  Notwithstanding numerous promises on the part of the Canadian government, not even a symbolic compensation has been received to date.  These setbacks and roadblocks, however, should not, and I trust – will not – soften the resolve of our community. I have no doubts that the day will come when justice will prevail.

Speaking about the World Wars, I would be remiss to not mention the trials that fate bestowed on our Ukrainian nation. In addition to the suffering that is part of every war, a concurrent tragedy was the fact that Ukrainians found themselves on different sides of the barricades, fighting and dying for foreign ideals. For example, during the First World War, close to 3.5 million Ukrainians were in the ranks of the Russian Army, and 250,000 in the Austro-Hungarian.  As for the numbers of Ukrainian victims of the Second War – 8 million – there are no analogies in world history. The figure is astronomical.

Notwithstanding these colossal casualties and all the tribulations, Ukrainians found the strength to fight for their land, freedom and state.  Thus, in the First World War, the Ukrainian Sichovi Striltsi, the Ukrainian Halytska Army and soldiers of the Ukrainian National Army and other military formations arose.  During the Second World War, the torch in the struggle to liberate the nation was taken up by the Division ‘Halychyna’ and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who with their sacrifices and their blood, declared to the world that we, Ukrainians, are a nation that deserves freedom, statehood and equality in the world community.

Unfortunately, today a paradox once again faces us.  The so-called elite of Ukraine (or, more accurately, the political majority that should be called the pseudo-elite) have categorically refused to acknowledge the contributions of UPA soldiers and other patriots. The absurdity of this situation lies in the fact that the Ukrainian ruling parliamentarians, covering themselves with the tryzub and the blue-and-yellow flag, want to obliterate the existence and achievements of those national heroes who fought for these very symbols by sacrificing their blood and their lives. However, we hope – no, we believe that the President Victor Yuschchenko will not permit this assault on history and that in, the end, justice will prevail.

While speaking of the past, we should not forget the present.  The end of the Cold War did not, unfortunately, bring about the long-awaited global peace. Instead, it resulted in the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, the emergence of international terrorism and a multitude of local conflicts based on a dangerous mixture of national/ religious/ ideological differences on the one hand and pragmatic interests on the other.

Following the attacks of 9/11, Canada has been taking an active part in the so-called Global War on Terrorism, dispatching its troops to Afghanistan and the Middle East.  As an officer in the Canadian Forces, I had an opportunity to participate in two such operations: Operation ‘Apollo’, which was a counter-terrorist mission in the Middle East and Operation ‘Athena’ – a NATO-led initiative to stabilize Afghanistan. 

These days, one hears a great deal of critical, even negative, rhetoric directed towards the Canadian military presence in Afghanistan. This is not the place or the time to talk politics and so I shall not. However, from the perspective of a soldier who was in Afghanistan, I will tell you that our current mission Afghanistan is a battle worth fighting for and, yes, if necessary, worth dying for. 

And no, I am not referring to the potential economic benefits or political incentives that Canada might receive from the United States as a result of this campaign.  I am talking about fighting for the very same values that you and I believe in: freedom, democracy and peace.  We are fighting to provide the people of Afghanistan, for the very first time in their history, a chance, even if it is a small chance, to build a normal country and to begin living a normal life – things, you and I are taking for granted. We are fighting for the very same reasons our great grandparents and grandparents fought for in Europe during the First and Second World Wars. What I am taking about is fighting for the Canadian Way–and, as far as I am concerned, there is only one way.

So, in essence, what does Remembrance Day mean for me?

November 11 is a day to remember my great-grandfather, who like millions of others, was in the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War. It is a day to remember my grandfather who, in the Second World War, was a soldier in the Polish army and later spent six years in German concentration camps.

It is a day to remember the huge sacrifices made by the Ukrainian nation, about Canadian heroes who fearlessly stormed the shores of Normandy in 1944 and about those Ukrainians who, as part of the Soviet Army, took Berlin in 1945, the soldiers of the Halychyna Division who, in the Battle of Brody gave their lives for Ukraine, the soldiers of the UPA, who, in the mountains of Ukraine, fought to the last against the communist hordes. 

It is also about my father who in the ranks of the Soviet Army (though not of his free will) took part in combat in Czechoslovakia in 1968.  And, it is about my friends who are currently carrying out a difficult mission in the mountains of Afghanistan.

For me, Remembrance Day is not a political or patriotic event, but purely a human one. 

On November 11, we remember our fallen comrades and their contributions.  We thank our veterans and recall their heroic deeds.  We acknowledge and extend our gratitude towards those who continue to serve this country and the world in many dangerous places.  We remember the soldiers and the victims. On Remembrance Day, we remember all those affected by war.

Captain Kozak was born in Ternopil, Ukraine and immigrated to Canada in 1992. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, and an MBA. In 2003, he took part in counter-terrorist operations in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, for which he received military decorations from the Deputy Prime Minister and the Governor General of Canada. Currently, he holds a leadership appointment with the Strategic Project Management Office of the Department of National Defence.