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MARK-ALAN WHITTLE The Flamborough Post, May 21, 2003 Reading Kyle Reimer's heartfelt story about the war in Iraq and Canada's lack of commitment to freedom brought back strong recollections of my father, Bert Whittle's efforts to liberate Holland from the tyranny of Hitler during the Second World War, as Hitler's shock troops marched across Europe unopposed. It was Canada's fighting men who imposed freedom for the people of Holland, while other European nations turned a blind eye to their plight. Who wasn't there for freedom is as telling as who was, for the grateful people of Holland who were liberated. My father left many tales of the Second World War untold, except for his perceptions of the day he drove through the besieged towns and villages that had been successfully protected from Hitler's tyranny. To this day, the children of Holland pay respect to those Canadians who fell for peace and honour, for the very freedoms Hollanders enjoy today. This tribute to the fighting men of Canada is so important it is included in the core curriculum of their public schools. My father, and the other fighting men who survived, wept for joy with the families, despite the heavy losses that surrounded them. I wept with my father at the telling of it, how proud he felt and to know how cherished freedom is to each one of us. Has our prime minister forgotten the sacrifice my father and thousands of others made for Holland's freedom, and Canada's moral obligation to do the same for the long suffering people of Iraq? |