A proud tradition of Black Canadians in uniform

As we commemorate Remembrance Day, let’s not forget that Black Canadians have a long history of service in uniform. Often having to overcome great challenges just to enlist in the military in earlier eras when our society was less inclusive, they persevered to make their mark.

From the days before Canada was even a country of its own to the current efforts in Afghanistan, the sacrifices and achievements of Black Canadians have shone through.

Read about their participation Pre-First World War, First World War, Second World War, Korean War and the Post-War Years: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/black-canadians-in-uniform/history

Over the decades since the Korean War, Black Canadians have gone on to serve in every branch of the military, in duties both here at home and in operations around the world during the Cold War and in international peace support efforts (right from the first large-scale United Nations peacekeeping mission to Egypt during the Suez Crisis of the 1950s).

Today, Black Canadians standing on the shoulders of the trailblazers who led the way continue to serve proudly in uniform where they share in the sacrifices and achievements being made by the Canadian Forces. Our country’s efforts in Afghanistan have come at a high cost, one that has been borne by Black soldiers, as well. Brave men like Ainsworth Dyer and Mark Graham are among the more than 150 Canadian Forces members who have died in Afghanistan since 2002.

Source: Veterans.gc.ca

~Wakenya Canada