Historical records are full of statistics and figures about Canadians who have fought in wars and conflicts during the past century, but many of us have never heard first-hand from a soldier what the experience was like.
Allan Cameron with Veterans Voices of Canada wants to change this. Thanks to funding from the Central Okanagan Foundation鈥檚 Canada 150 Grants program, Cameron was recently able to visit the Okanagan and record the stories of 11 local veterans.
鈥淲e know how many fought and why, but who were actually the people with boots on the ground?鈥� asks Cameron. 鈥淚t took people to keep the peace, to make sure Canada remains Canada, and everyone involved has a story to share.鈥�
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Cameron, who is based out of Sylvan Lake, AB, asks veterans to go in front of a video camera and engages in a conversation with them. The interviews are then shared publicly and online at www.vetvoicecan.org.
鈥淚鈥檝e done about 1,400 interviews so far and it鈥檚 impossible to become desensitized to their stories,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can see through the camera how much it affects them, how they are taken right back to where they were years ago.鈥�
Cameron explains that many of the interviewees suffer from PTSD and admit that retelling their experiences will affect them deeply for weeks to come afterward.
鈥淢any are hesitant to talk at first, but most afterward say a weight has been lifted and it鈥檚 helpful to get it off their shoulders.鈥�
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Veterans Voices of Canada began in 2005 as a result of Cameron鈥檚 passion for history. He started by researching World War II that his uncles served in, and has since spoken with veterans ranging in age from 25 to 99 who were part of the Korean War and NATO peacekeeping missions.
He has also created the 鈥淔lags of Remembrance鈥� event, where 128 flags are unfurled in locations across the nation in remembrance of the 128,000 Canadian lives lost in conflict. This year鈥檚 event occurred on Oct. 7 with Vernon as one of the participating locations.
鈥淭he grant from the Central Okanagan Foundation was so important so I could document the stories of local veterans. I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do this without their support,鈥� he shares.
Cameron is currently working on editing the Okanagan interviews, and will donate DVDs to local libraries and schools as well as posting them on the Veterans Voices website and Facebook page.
鈥淢y hope is that people will learn it鈥檚 important to talk, to understand and appreciate what they鈥檝e sacrificed for us,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have given years of their lives, and in many cases physical and mental sacrifices. We have to do better for our veterans.鈥�
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