Dear National Editor:
November 11th CBC's National aired documentary by Carol Off about the
role of Canadian Peacekeepers in the Balkans.
Canadian public learned of exceptional bravery and heroism of Canadian
soldiers in September 1993 Battle of Medak Pocket, that was described as
the biggest battle Canadian soldiers had confronted since the Korean
war.
Canadian public also learned that after returning home, Peacekeepers
were given no time together to heal psychological wounds. Deprived of
company of fellow combatants, surrounded with families, friends and
fellow Canadians whose opinions were shaped by media reports, there was
virtually nobody who could believe and appreciate what they went
through.
These men protected lives of Serb civilians from the fire of Croatian
Army even shielding them from shrapnel with their own bodies.
Significant number of these soldiers still suffers of post traumatic
stress disorder as the consequence of horrors they witnessed.
CBC Balkan news coverage continued undisturbed by this event as if it
didn't happen. One of the finest hours of Canadian Military ever was
ignored for nine years.
Omission of Battle of Medak Pocket from the picture of the Balkan wars
for all these years deprived these brave men of their proper place in
it. Injustice does not help in recuperation from the post traumatic
stress disorder.
Perhaps CBC should apologize to Canadian Peacekeepers and their
families.
It would be probably unrealistic to expect from CBC to do the same for
civilian victims of the Medak Pocket Massacre and their families who
found "safe haven" in Canada only to learn that their suffering was as
insignificant for Canadian media as it was for Croatian.
Bob Petrovich
Toronto
Serbian News Network - SNN
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.antic.org/
