Stephen J. Thorne

The 2023 Legion National Track & Field Championships in 120 pictures: Part 1

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

More than 900 athletes gathered in Sherbrooke, Que., Aug. 11-13 for the 2023 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships—three days of competition, education and comraderie among a diverse, talented and enthusiastic legion of young Canadians.

The participants came from both Legion-sponsored programs and private clubs: 307 Legion athletes representing nine regions of the RCL (Prince Edward Island did not send a team) and 629 club and unattached competitors.

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More from Front Lines

• Russia employs terrorist tactics in Ukraine
• Growing up in the Cold War and the turbulent ’60s
• The myth of the ‘Long Peace’

Korea: The war without end

Explore the Unforgettable: Canada’s Role in the Korean War  In this video narrated by Chris Jericho, we delve into the remarkable story of how Canada answered the call for peace and played a pivotal role in the Korean War. Discover the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment of Canadian soldiers as they joined the international effort to defend democracy and uphold global stability. Join us as we honor the valiant contributions of Canadian forces and commemorate their legacy that continues to inspire generations.

EDWARD AUGUSTUS INGLEFIELD

The world’s most northerly shipwreck

STORY BY PAIGE JASMINE GILMAR

“The women wanted to be taken seriously,” wrote Barbara Dundas and Dr. Serge Durflinger of the Canadian War Museum.

In some ancient civilizations women have been taken seriously in battle. There is Athena, a Greek goddess of war, who in Homer’s Iliad used her civility, intelligence and prudence to be even more effective than the male god of war, Ares. Her superior qualities are even marked upon her, dawning an aegis, or breastplate, which symbolizes the skills that lead her to victory.

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More from Military Milestones

• Canada’s First Female Soldiers
• Atomic Canada
• Rangers at Midnight

Ukrainian Emergency Service

Russia employs terrorist tactics in Ukraine

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

It’s an old terrorist tactic, and it’s now being used with increasing regularity by Russian military forces in Ukraine: Bomb a civilian site, wait for emergency services to arrive, then bomb it again.

It happened Aug. 8 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, 50 kilometres from the front line. Authorities said at least nine people were killed, including a rescuer, and 82 wounded, 38 emergency workers and two children among them.

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More from Front Lines

• Growing up in the Cold War and the turbulent ’60s
• The myth of the ‘Long Peace’
• The bombers and the nightingales

Wikimedia

Canada’s First Female Soldiers

STORY BY PAIGE JASMINE GILMAR

“The women wanted to be taken seriously,” wrote Barbara Dundas and Dr. Serge Durflinger of the Canadian War Museum.

In some ancient civilizations women have been taken seriously in battle. There is Athena, a Greek goddess of war, who in Homer’s Iliad used her civility, intelligence and prudence to be even more effective than the male god of war, Ares. Her superior qualities are even marked upon her, dawning an aegis, or breastplate, which symbolizes the skills that lead her to victory.

READ MORE

More from Military Milestones

• Atomic Canada
• Rangers at Midnight
• Forcing the hand of peace

Deep, restorative sleep is key to improved mental and physical health.

RCL members can now save on Sleep Products!

• 25% Off Pillows and Sheets
• $100 Off Mattresses, Adjustable Base Bundles, and Lift Chairs

Call 800-455-6421 or visit https://offer.ultramaticsleep.com

Learn More

Stephen J. Thorne

Growing up in the Cold War and the turbulent ’60s

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

During a five-month stint in Afghanistan in 2004, my third trip covering the war and its fallout for The Canadian Press wire service, I talked to a UNICEF worker about what it was like for Afghan kids growing up in a war zone.

Afghanistan was in its fourth decade of almost non-stop fighting. How do they cope, I asked. Surprisingly well, he replied. They adapt, as kids do and, for the most part, survive. It’s all they’d ever known. Children’s greatest fears—and parents’ most acute concerns—he told me, were automobiles and ungrated sewers.

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More from Front Lines

• The myth of the ‘Long Peace’
• The bombers and the nightingales
• The Queen of the skies: Iconic Lancaster flies again

Communist troops of the North Korean People’s Army attack the South on June 25, 1950. They are in Seoul in less than a week. A United Nations coalition resolves to stop them. Canada joins what is by any definition a war. For three years, Canadians fight iconic battles on land, sea and in the air; 516 die and when the killing is over, the more than 26,000 survivors spend years fighting for recognition. They call it a “police action” and the “forgotten war,” but for those Canadians who fought in Korea between 1950 and 1953, neither time nor circumstance can erase the memories of what they saw, smelled and experienced in the hills and valleys around the 38th parallel and beyond.

View the story

Wikimedia

Atomic Canada

STORY BY PAIGE JASMINE GILMAR

“These atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange even to the men who used them,” wrote H.G. Wells in his 1914 sci-fi classic, The World Set Free.

Wells, who holds a track record for predicting technological innovations, was credited by Sir Winston Churchill for dreaming up the use of combat airplanes and tanks before the First World War. Still, The World Set Free added an entirely new colour to scientific inspiration, with Wells theorizing that unbelievable power could be born from splitting the atom.

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More from Military Milestones

• Rangers at Midnight
• Forcing the hand of peace
• The mathematical miracle of the Gimli Glider

At Pocketpills, we bring the pharmacy to you. Through our easy-to-use app and website, you can fill prescriptions, order vitamins, and consult with pharmacists—all from the comfort of home. As a member of The Legion, you’ll receive exclusive benefits when you sign up! Click the link below to see offers in your area, or call 1-855-950-7225 and mention that you are a Legion member.

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