Commemorative Ceremony to honour 25th anniversary

Kuwait veterans

 
Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

CFB Esquimalt will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait with a commemorative ceremony on Feb. 26 at the Naden Drill Shed.

Joining serving personnel and veterans will be guest speakers, and Gulf War veterans, Rear-Admiral (Retired) Ken Summers and RAdm (Retired) Roger Girouard. Also attending will be special guest Vice-Admiral (Retired) Jean Yves Forcier, former Commander of Canada Command.

During the 1990-91 Persian Gulf crisis, VAdm(Ret’d) Forcier was seconded for six months as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations with the Canadian Naval Task Group and later with the Canadian Forces Middle East Headquarters in Bahrain, for which he was “Mentioned in Dispatch.”

The proceedings will commence at 9:45 a.m., and is one of six events planned at Canadian Armed Forces bases across Canada to commemorate the end of the Persian Gulf War on Feb. 28, 1991.  

Canada’s military, along with 33 coalition nations, took part in various operations to thwart Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

Harold Davis, president of the recently formed Persian Gulf Veterans of Canada (PGVC), says it’s been an “uphill struggle” to get Canadians to acknowledge this war.

“Some recognition is not too much to ask for,” he says. “That’s what the Korean War veterans had asked for so many years. I’m not holding my breath that things will change overnight. I just keep pounding the pavement and try to raise awareness and recruit more members to our group.”

His group represents past and current Canadian military members who served in the war.

“While many Canadians have a short memory when it comes to the Persian Gulf War, the soldiers, sailors and aviators who served have a very long memory.”

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 91 in Langford recently announced it will host an anniversary ceremony on Feb. 28, the official date that then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush declared a unilateral cease-fire that brought an end to the war.

“We are trying to make sure people who served in the Persian Gulf are recognized and never forgotten,” said Norm Scott, president of Branch 91. “The Legion is here to support all veterans and their families.”

Davis says PGVC membership is also open to all RCN sailors who have served in the Persian Gulf in the years following the war right up until present day. Davis operates a PGVC Facebook Page and is encouraging any current and past CAF members who served in the Persian Gulf, before or after the war, to join the page.