http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2002/04/21/do2106.xml
I thought it was nice and touching, and very true.
Just wanted to share. This hits close to home for me.
Elly
Thanks, ** Elenfair**. That is extremely touching, and it would have passed me by, as I wouldn’t normally look at the Telegraph. So, I’m glad to have seen that, and I think I’ll forward it to some Canadians I chat to, OR, if you don’t mind, post it on another message board that I frequent. Would that be OK?
(BTW - your name looks Welsh, like Ellen Mary - is it? OR is this jsut another case of "getting other Dopers’ names wrong?)
Here’s the thing, though: Canada never pisses anybody off. I think that’s at the root of it. As such, other countries like the US and UK haven’t had much in the way of opportunities to come to Canada’s aid, and display the same level of friendship Canada has offered time and time again.
I’m not sure what would be considered proper thanks to Canada for the sacrifices of that country. I’m not sure what type of thanks other countries receive for their heroism, either. I was aware that Canadian soldiers were participating in the campaign in Afghanistan, and of course shocked and saddened at the deaths of four soldiers at US hands. All the articles I’d read about the war both before and after that tragedy certainly named Canada as a participant. What else is fitting? What would be appropriate thanks, and how would they be extended?
Celyn, that’s absolutely right. It’s my name, in welsh. My mentor (who is welsh) has been calling me that for years 
It’s the first time someone guesses the origin right!
Go right ahead with the cross-posting
Beadalin - good questions… I’m not sure how to answer them. Let me think… I’ll try to answer after I finish marking these 'zams.
E.
Beadalin:
I’ll take “Things a South Park fan would never say” for 400, Alex…
That’s why we sew little Canadian flags to our backpacks when travelling abroad.
An online American friend of mine told me that when he was visiting the Middle East, the tour leader instructed them to tell anyone who asked that they were Canadian. (Unless, of course, they were in a situation in which they’d have to present their passports, obviously.)
- s.e.
Canada has always been the quiet but reliable friend that the US has almost always been able to rely on when we need a friend. Granted, most people are unaware of the contributions that Canada has made to world peace and victory in the wars we’ve fought, but then again not many know that NORAD is a joint US/Canadian command, either.
I watched a show on the Discovery Channel about the Cheyenne Mountain NORAD complex, and Canada wasn’t even mentioned. Hmph. Chalk it up to poor reporting. A lot of people have no idea that, not only are Canadian military personnel posted at NORAD HQ in Colorado, but a British Royal Navy officer is permanently posted to an American destroyer (the USS Winston S Churchill), a German Luftwaffe squadron is stationed at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, and American pilots routinely serve in RAF squadrons and vice-versa.
Here’s a test: go out on the street and ask the average American which countries have troops on the ground in Afghanistan. Most will tell you that we’re going it alone. A small percentage might know that the UK has troops on the ground, and might have read something about some Canadians dying. Very few would be able to tell you that along with the US military, there are troops from Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Australia and (soon, anyway) Turkey on Afghan soil. Heck, I’ve probably missed a country or two. Are any Dutch soldiers over there yet?
So, yeah, many things that Canada does provide direct aid to the United States and the world, and we’re grateful for it, even if most of us are oblivious. But we haven’t forgotten where William Shatner came from. Oh, no, we haven’t forgotten that.
I only wish to comment on the article posted by the OP:
Here, here, eh.
I live 30 miles south of the Canadian border, in WA state.
WE never forget Canada. Whatever happens in or to Canada feels like it happens to us, too. We appreciate Canada, view BC as just another extension of WA, and consider Canadians as part of our extended family.
I hope that doesn’t offend any Canadians out there, we KNOW you are your own country. Just…well, to me borders are just some silly thing that politicians thought up. As far as I am concerned, we are all brothers and sisters…with all the attendant warts and beauty. Well, of course that is true for the rest of the world too, but since we live in such close proximity, it just feels more immediate. I know I am not explaining this well, so I’ll quit trying and just say…
Canada, you ROCK! And I take pride in living close enough to feel loyalty and love for you.
And thanks for the link, Elenfair… it is so VERY true.
Scotti
What a lovely article, Elenfair.
I lived for three years on a Canadian military base in Germany (Lahr). I have been very nostalgic lately. Somehow, this made me think of things I remember from the Gulf War…
Sorry if that doesn’t make much sense to people. But that article touched something tonight…
I love poking fun at Canada–sort of the way one sibling may needle another, but I really honestly love that country. (Except your cold fronts. Those suck.)
However ignored Canada may feel, just know that you’re respected, loved, and maybe even a little bit admired by us here where bacon is flat.
This is why Australia and Canada get along so well…we are ignored by the rest of the world 
Love you Canadians!
I think that Denmark has some soldiers there as well.
Just wait 'til the William Shatner-Céline Dion duet album comes out. 