Wikimedia

Good guys versus bad guys: The nuance of history

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

If there is one truth about people and politics, it’s this: nothing is black and white.

Anthony Rota, the Speaker of the House Commons, and his colleagues learned a lesson in nuance recently when they lauded a 98-year-old man sitting in the visitors’ gallery as a “hero” of Ukraine. All parliamentarians—including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—gave the guest a standing ovation.

Trouble is, Yaroslav Hunka served in Nazi Germany’s 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division during the Second World War. Commonly known as the Galicia Division, its members have been accused of murdering civilians, including Jews and Polish Citizens.

READ MORE

More from Front Lines

• Musk war manoeuvres raise concerns over tech giants’ power
• The Leica Freedom Train
• Jess Larochelle: A Canadian soldier

Wikipedia

Alouette I: A beacon of peace in space

STORY BY PAIGE JASMINE GILMAR

Alongside the pioneering satellites Sputnik and Explorer 1, one uniquely Canadian contribution created an iconic trio in Earth’s orbit. Launched on Sept. 29, 1962, Alouette I was a small ionospheric observatory, which looked like an interplanetary disco ball hurtling 1,000 kilometres above the globe and got its name from a well-known French-Canadian children’s song.

Alouette I “was one of the most successful scientific satellites ever,” wrote Jack Rigley, vice-president of the Satellite Communications Research Branch at Communications Research Centre Canada.

READ MORE

More from Military Milestones

• Saying sorry to Japanese Canadians
• Fighting Medak monsters
• The bulldog bearer

Member Benefit Partner

Learn more