The Unknown Warriors: Canadians in Vietnam

Gary Clarkson is a history lecturer at the University of Windsor and a
book reviewer for the Windsor Star.

Until recently, the word “Vietnam” had different connotations for
Canadians and Americans. The images of the Vietnam War seemed to be the
exclusive product of the American war machine. But as this book makes
clear, some 30,000 Canadians fought as volunteer members of the U.S.
armed forces: proudly, Canadian nationals went into battle and endured
every aspect of the struggle over South Vietnam.

Gaffen uses the taped memoirs and letters of Canadian Vietnam veterans
to tell us what the war was like for them. Insights abound. We learn,
for instance, that soldiers avoided making many friends lest their loss
in combat bring too much debilitating grief. Survival required
concentration on doing a good, professional job. Canadians in Vietnam
had a variety of combat experience that match anything their forebears
went through in Korea or the world wars.

But returning to North America did not end the plight of these
Canadians; because they were veterans of a basically American conflict,
recognition of their honorable status was not forthcoming from Ottawa or
from Canadians in general. Along with lost self-esteem, many have
suffered nightmares and flashbacks.

Here, then, is a small but no doubt representative part of the story of
the Canadians who fought for America, risking—and sometimes
losing—their lives.