Wow 100,000 people. I know Svend Robinson and Corky Evans are "dodgers" but so what, Vietnam was a very unjust war. So many people (mainly poorer people) were drafted and forced to go to Vietnam against their will. Many died and many have "mental health issues" to this day. That war was a disgrace.War resisters past and present were outside Vancouver City Hall yesterday to offer a sneak peek of the "Welcoming Peace" sculpture, which will debut in July.
The sculpture, which depicts a Canadian taking in American draft dodgers in the late '60s, currently in small-scale clay form, will stand more than nine feet tall when it's unveiled at the Our Way Home peace event and reunion in Castlegar July 9.
"It's to remember the role Canadians played in the thousands to assist Americans trying to escape the military," said Isaac Romano, the organizer of the upcoming event.
More than 100,000 soldiers and their families came to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War, many of them to B.C.
Ernest Hekkanen was among those soldiers.
He fled to Canada in 1969 and now lives in Nelson.
His front lawn is where the statue will ultimately rest after a deal to put it on public land somewhere in the province ultimately failed.
"I'm happy to be able to showcase the statue in front of my private gallery," said Hekkanen, whose likeness can be found on one of the three figures. "Anyone who wants to see it is free to come."
Kyle Snyder, 22, who deserted the U.S. Army after spending four months in Iraq, also came to show his support for the statue and to thank Canada.
"I went there and I made my decision," said Snyder, who is waiting to hear on his refugee status in Canada. "I didn't like what I saw. I thought I was going to be building schools and roads but instead I was walking down the streets with a high-calibre rifle."
The next step for the $20,000 sculpture, the work of Nelson artist Naomi Lewis, is to be cast in bronze.
I know US military does not have a draft now, but the Iraq war is illegal, so we should allow those people who come across for refuge to stay.
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