Welcome to the Balkans 35th Commemoration website

In particular, we want to acknowledge the many Reservists who served in the Balkans. All of these soldiers were immediately sent home after returning to Canda without their Commanding Officer and Unit leadership being able to thank them for their service, dedication and accomplishments in the Balkans. The following extract from “Chances for Peace - Canadian Soldiers in the Balkans, 1992 – 1995” explains it up much better than I can.

“The Medak operation ended the 22nd or 23rd of September.  We did a little bit critical stress stuff. The Van Doos started arriving on the first of October, a week later. We had to hand over and all the equipment checks to do. Then by the 10th of October everybody went.  My reservists didn’t come back to me so that we could talk about it afterwards; they went home.  They had nobody to talk to and also they went back to a Milita unit where maybe nobody else had been over in a situation like this. Who were they going to talk to in the Militia unit where they go out to do compass marches, when he’s just been through the biggest action the Canadian Army has been through since Korea? Who’s he going to talk to about firefights and all this stress-relief stuff with? Nobody. My soldiers could at least go to the mess and talk with one of their buddies and say, “How are things going?” But the reservists didn’t have anybody.  At that stage of the game we weren’t very good at it. I try to write letters to the guys that had been over there with us just saying, look, if you have any problems just call us, do whatever.  We sent a couple of company commanders out to a few of the units where the COs called up and said some of the guys were doing some heavy drinking that were over with me. Maybe I could send some guys out to talk to them. I’m still certain that there are guys out there that are still suffering some emotional difficulties.  We have to get better at it. I think we’re slowly getting better at it, but it’s going to take some money. I think it will probably in the end take a couple of lawsuits where suddenly the army is put to task to have a long-term follow-up, particularly with the reserves because there are some problems. If you go through something like we did, there are bound to be some problems”