Correct me if I am wrong, but it was my impression Reservists ( if they chose not to "step up and do their stint" ) could only be forced to into full-time service if there was a Draft / Conscription ( last one 1945 ).
In which case, able-bodied male ( and female? ) civilians would also be eligible to get drafted.
My understanding is that the necessarily legislation and regulatory enablers exist to order the PRes to full time service if absolutely needed, it’s more that it’s just one of those things that by convention wouldn’t be done save for a real national emergency. Any one of a dozen more knowledgeable posters here will correct me if I’m wrong.
EDIT:
@Rudburg got this while I was typing. Thanks.
In this case, I'd probably have to go with our current culture, across all segments of our society, of giving out freebees, awards to everyone just for participation/attendance.
OK… Freebies and participation trophies isn’t at all what ‘woke’ is, but that’s fine, you’ve clarified what track we’re on and it’s still the conventional one we see come up in these discussions. I just wasn’t sure if some weird ideological rabbit hole had opened up. Thanks for clearing that up.
We have the question raised of a medal for four years of service, where we already have one for twelve, with bars for twenty-two, thirty-two, forty-two, etc. It is sort of the idea that you no longer have to 'compete'. Add on a movement that is petitioning for a Volunteer Service Medal, for signing on the line, not during a time of war, as we saw in WW II, and we can see a trend.
I’d see a ‘short service medal’ or a ‘CVSM’ as a couple kicks at the same cat. To me, hitting OFP and completing a basic term of engagement would be reasonable for recognition. I think Canada has gotten more and more detached from its veterans. This may be a generational thing between you and I, but your generation is probably much more aware and connected than mine, and there are a couple more generations already coming up behind me. CAF has troops born in 2006/07 now. We used to talk about troops born after the Gulf War… Now it’s troops born after Op Medusa.
I like the idea of any Canadian who served honourably and did their bit - not knowing on Friday what Monday would bring - being recognized for stepping up, something most will never do. It’s no more a matter of ‘competing’ than the CD is. I think a lot of younger Canadians showing up on Remembrance Day wearing a short service medal might show there to be a lot of us out there, and cause more “hey, what’s that medal?” conversations that lead to discussion of what their few years in CAF did for them. I’d also be fine with a short service medal being exchanged for the CD when 12 years is hit, in case that mitigates concerns of rack inflation. We already have orders that get traded in for a higher grade, so there’s precedent.
I liked your idea of a medal for Domestic Ops, which would something in tune with the SSM, except for Domestic deployments. To me that would be a reasonable proposal over the two I alluded to above. Like the SSM, it would have Bars to signify what Ops one was on, as opposed to creating a separate medal for each Op.
Yeah, initially I was thinking a ‘domestic’ bar to the SSM, but I’ve leaned more towards something like an OSM-Domestic. I’m not sure how viable op specific bars would be given how DOMOPS are likely to be an accumulation of multiple short but kinda shitty deployments. But maybe something similar to the rotation bars for cumulative service? Someone would need to pull data and get a sense of what’s reasonable on that. But I could see a low threshold - 30, 45 days - for an initial award, and maybe high thresholds for bars.
We, unfortunately, haven't been able to award medals for extraordinary and heroic actions in Afghanistan, due to our Government's policies and dragging its feet. Adding more awards, with perhaps 'lesser' criteria and significance, further complicates and delays awarding some of our highest awards.
No VCs, no. Lots of well earned MMV / SMV, and some bravery decorations to boot. I think the lack of any VCs is a travesty. I can’t speak to whether we failed to recognize valour adequately.
In the end, are we debating over awards or egos?
Recognition, I think. For me personally it’s all academic. I have my modest rack, already got a CD so a short service medal wouldn’t apply, and I didn’t do enough DOMOPS that I’d see anything under reasonable criteria for that. I’ve come to strongly few that what CAF does for Canadians should be more loudly celebrated. A DOMOPS medal would help with that (and would incentivize reservists stepping up), and I’m coming to think a short service medal for OFP and a basic engagement might indirectly spread a bit more awareness that we’re out.
Sunday morning coffee thoughts…