As Canadians reflect on the sacrifices of veterans for Nov. 11, reading can be one way to honour the legacy of those who served.
Ripples of War: The Canadian Veteran Experience is published by UBC Press and the Canadian War Museum. It was edited by museum historians Michael Petrou, Andrew Burtch and the late Tim Cook. It is a collection of historical essays and personal reflections that examine how military service has shaped lives over the last 80 years. It includes veterans’ experiences from the war in Afghanistan, the Korean War and the First and Second World Wars.
“The ripples of war and of military service continue to shape veterans and their loved ones for years, decades, generations after the fact,” Petrou says in a recent interview with The Book Section. “The impacts of military service and of war have reshaped Canadian society as well.”
I’ve spoken to the children and grandchildren of First World War veterans who still feel their lives have been shaped by those experiences
Michael Petrou
Petrou says the book gives voice to the experiences of Indigenous, racialized, women and 2SLGBTQIA+ veterans.
“Everyone’s story is unique, but you have this recurring theme of shame and exclusion,” he says. “Not being able to feel that you are a part of this fellowship of veterans and reclaiming this, some for the first time.”
The impact on families is strong
“I’ve spoken to the children and grandchildren of First World War veterans who still feel their lives have been shaped by those experiences,” Petrou says.
He says it’s important to broaden the understanding of how war influences not only veterans and their families but society at large.
“We have a bad habit of considering military history as something that’s hived off and is about only the battles, failing to recognize the influences and the ripples of war.”
For him, the book honours veterans by recording, listening and trying to understand “all their flaws, complexities and all their nuances.”
“The best thing that we can do for veterans is not necessarily to put them on a pedestal or venerate them, but to try to understand them as human beings.”
Remembrance Day reading list
Ripples of War: The Canadian Veteran Experience
By Michael Petrou, Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook
At Home and Beyond: Honouring Canada’s War Dead
By Len Wagg
This photo book by Nova Scotia photographer and author Len Wagg spans five years of travel across Canada and Europe highlighting the stories behind war graves. It also profiles the work of caretakers and the Department of National Defence’s Casualty Identification Unit.
Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War
By Brandon Marriott
A historical work looking into the story of Lester Harper, a First World War soldier from B.C. which relies on family letters, official military records and archives.
Into the Breach: A Soldier’s Journey
By Wayne Eyre
Retired general and former Chief of the Defence Staff Wayne Eyre writes about his 40-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces. He examines leadership, global events and the reality of the modern military.
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