By Mike Blais
Special kudos are due to former Chief of the Defence Staff, General (ret'd) Rick Hillier, Bruce Moncur and the thousands of Canadians who have rallied behind the initiative Valour in the Presence of the Enemy as they battle to secure the Victoria Cross for Private Jesse Larochelle, (Medal of Military Valour recipient). Collectively, these individuals have inspired significant steps forward over the past couple of months and these efforts should be willingly acknowledged by serving members, veterans and the general public, as their quest truly reflects the rising spirit of our nation. This battle has been ongoing, surpassing mandates of successive CDS's, two Prime Ministers and three Governors General. Many would have certainly given up by now and accordingly, I would personally commend the collective community for remaining steadfast, by refusing to pass the fault and maintaining the pressure on DND and Parliament for an ultimateresolution.
Trust me folks, you are making a difference.
Last month, two noteworthy accomplishments were attained. First, a petition was successfully submitted to the House of Commons and secondly, perhaps most importantly, the Liberal government agreed to establish an external committee to review Private Larochelle’s MMV citation and those individuals whom General (ret'd) Hillier has deemed to be at fault. Should they raise Larochelle's nomination to the level of the criteria for the Victoria Cross, recommendations to the House will be processed. What happens then is anybody’s guess. Can Parliament order the current CDS to undertake a review that she has already deemed unworthy? Can parliament strategically bypass DND and forward the recommendations directly to the Governor General (GG)? Can the Prime Minister circumvent protocol and engage the GG directly in support of the award? Or will these efforts just shame the leadership of the Canadian Armed Forces, further diminish the CAF leadership's reputation or be dismissed as another example of politicians latching on to national sacrifice to suit their own agendas?
Unfortunately, this entire situation could have been resolved when General (ret'd) Hillier first approached the current and previous CDS, expressing his concerns with respect to Jesse Larochelle’s Medal of Military Valour’s citation being incomplete. Instead of acknowledging fault, and respecting General (ret'd) Hilliers wartime service, successive CDSs have refused to correct the fault. Let me be clear, the CDS does not have any authority with respect to such a medal beyond the nomination process. At that time, the Awards and Commemoration committee at Rideau Hall undertakes due diligence and ultimately, the Governor General decides on behalf of King Charles. The fault, as General (ret'd) Hillier willingly admits, was made during the nomination process due to a lack of information under his mandate. General (ret'd) Hillier believes, now that he is fully aware of the circumstances surrounding that bloody night in Afghanistan 20 years ago, As such, he would have submitted recommendations that would have, ultimately, made Private Jesse LaRochelle, The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first recipient of the Canadian Victoria Cross.
Inarguably, the cost in National Sacrifice that Operation Medusa inflicted upon Canada has been extraordinary. As were the consequences. Several soldiers were called upon to demonstrate uncommon valour in the face of a determined enemy during this period. This fact is beyond dispute and while I believe Larochelle should be the first recipient, he is not unique in deserving consideration for the Victoria Cross.
The nation has borne witness to the plight of veterans in the aftermath of the Afghanistan War and with their support, veterans have been able to reform the abomination of the New Veterans Charter into a system that respects national sacrifice. I am hopeful Parliament's investigations will be transparent, that General (ret'd) Hillier’s voice will resonate and the incredible depths of valour demonstrated by Larochelle and other deserving MMV recipients will be delivered unfiltered to the Canadian general public instead of the adversarial versions claimed by the CDS, and the cadre of senior officers and bureaucrats who compose his/her advisory on valour awards to affect the current deadlock. They have clearly lost their way and have little, if any, respect for General (ret'd) Hillier who, guided by his conscience, is attempting to resolve the fault he admittedly made during his tenure as CDS. Nor are they valuing the valiant actions of Larochelle, who’s sacrifice has been purposefully diminished.
Shame on you all.
Consequences? Perhaps the CDS’s/DND nomination authority should be revoked and military awards for gallantry and valour reassigned to the purview of Parliament? Perhaps the military leadership is its own worst enemy. As they have been on defence so long during years of reputationally erosive dysfunction and scandalous conduct by senior officers that they have forgotten the mantra of being the standard bearer of valour.
Or, perhaps, the CDS will read the writing on the wall and decide, forthwith, to concede to war veteran General (ret'd) Hillier’s conscience driven appeal to send the Governor General a request to review Private Jess Larochelle’s Medal of Valour citation, to consider the new evidence that has been provided with the intent of elevating LaRochelle’s Medal of Valour citation to the realm of the Victoria Cross?
Before she becomes an adverse historical foot note to the inevitable changes the spirit of the nation demands.
Pro Patria
