Other Nationalities jilled in Vietnam

Let's not forget the Canadians.

At the Wall on Memorial Day, I was struck by the number of Canadian flags there were. By definition they were all true volunteers.

A Canadian once said "It was our best young men that went to America and what did America send us in return? Draft Dodgers."

FYI

Canada as a nation was not involved and did not send combat troops

however

About 80 Canadians were killed in the Vietnam conflict. Most were young members of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps.

http://www.vwam.com/vets/canadians.html

Canadians

Thanks George.

It's tragic that they seem to have been forgotten.

Let's not be so quick to brush aside Canada's contribution to the Vietnam War. The link, tho informative, is outdated. The Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial wasn't even an idea at the time of the magazine issue. It says so at the bottom of the article I believe. "Canada's Vietnam veterans hope someday to build a monument in honor of their sacrifice".

It has since been built, in Windsor, just north of Detroit, and has over 100 names on it, with 3 mia and the rest kia's. It is known simply as The North Wall, and it's official dedication ceremony was in 1995.

It is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 Canadians served in the US Armed Forces during Vietnam, and perhaps that many in country. Not a single one of them had to. They each could have returned to their homeland without legal reprucussions.
Regardless of what we think of contemporary Canada, that is a sacrifice that should not go unappreciated.

The following url & quote is dated Apr 2000, and the memorial had already been built, so I know the above link predates this one.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/canadianvietnamvets/press2.html

Many other Canadians served willingly. Lee Hitchins, 55, and two high-school buddies in Smiths Falls, Ont, travelled to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1963 and enlisted in the U.S. navy. "The Communists were bad and we good," recalls Hitchins. In 1965, Hitchins was assigned to a destroyer off the Vietnam coast for an eight- month tour. He returned to Smiths Falls in 1972-reluctant to talk much about his experiences. "It was worse coming back to Canada," says Hitchins. "All we heard about were the draft dodgers who came up here”.

"Exactly how many Canadians served in Vietnam is difficult to determine. Hitchins, who is president of the Canadian Vietnam Veterans-Ottawa, estimates the number at 30,000 to 40,000. The confusion exists because Canadians drafted while they were living in the United States show up in records as Americans. But Hitchins says that, so far, more than 100 dead soldiers listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington have officially been confirmed as Canadian. Their names also appear on a Canadian memorial in a park in Windsor-just across the Detroit River from the United States."

More information can be found at the links on this page:
http://www.ipsystems.com/powmia/default.html