By: Kenneth Pastushyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
LaSalle’s Royal Canadian Branch 594 president Morris Brause engaged with the community extensively during a series of events this year. He began the morning at the Regional Children’s Centre elementary school in Windsor, a school for students with behavioral issues, marking his third consecutive year visiting.
Brause, 70, said he sat the children down on the floor to talk with them about the pride of Canadians going to help people wherever they are being attacked or abused. He didn’t go into any details.
Then Brause talked about his 42-year history in the military. He held many positions as an officer in all three battalions in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Regiment.
Brause also served overseas in Germany, commanded a combat team in Bosnia-Hercegovina and was chief of operations for the U.N. Mission on the Iraq-Kuwait border. He also served in Afghanistan as a
senior military plans officer and mentored a major-general in the Afghan army. At the age of 59, Brause became the oldest Canadian to receive the Afghanistan Star medal. He retired as a lieutenant-colonel in 2014 with the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment in Windsor.
Brause would turn around and let the children ask a lot of questions and he loved answering them all.
One child from the war-torn Middle East said it was terrible what happened in their country.
“It’s terrible what happens in crises,” replied Brause. “It’s terrible what happens in war and the reality is people from all sides are badly affected and that’s sad.”
The principal’s staff appreciated how he related to the children, and it meant a lot to Brause.
When Brause speaks to older students in high school, colleges and universities, he often goes into the
political aspects and preparations when entering a foreign country. The culture, their religion and political issues are studied and Brause said it’s critical to “make sure our troops are trained on it and understand what they are getting into,” so they can empathize.
“Intelligence used correctly can only ensure that we are appreciated when we are there,” said Brause.
“We are not there to change the culture we are there to provide stability.”
On Mon., Nov. 11, Brause was scheduled to speak at Villanova Secondary School to talk about the sadness of what happens in conflict around the world, especially on the border of Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Middle East where so many innocent people died.
A lot of Brause’s Palestinian friends in Gaza agree that a terrorist group called Hamas “caused the issue.”
He said the Muslims and Palestinians were generally living in harmony.
“Nobody understands peace better than a soldier who has served overseas,” said Brause. “I have served in many locations and have seen the horrors happen on all sides.”
Brause did see the horrors in Afghanistan where over 40,000 Canadian troops served in Canada’s longest war from 2002-2014.
“You’re looking a man who suffered PTSD in 2003 and had to go through a lot of counselling over a couple of years before going back to full-time service,” said Brause in a speech on Sat., Nov. 9 during a
Remembrance dinner at the Legion’s Branch 261 in Tecumseh. “And I got myself into position thanks to the counsellors where I could go back to Afghanistan.”
Brause worked closely with local interpreters and witnessed first-hand how the people of Afghanistan respected and appreciated the effort of Canadians because “they knew we had their best interests at heart.”
And like the radical faction Hamas, it was the Taliban, another terrorist group which attacked people of their own faith in Afghanistan.
“When Afghanistan fell again, I had three months of absolute misery,” said Brause at Branch 261. “All I could think about was the wonderful people I met and the experiences I had.”
And like the radical faction Hamas, it was the Taliban, another terrorist group that attacked the people of their own faith in Afghanistan.
On the Sun., Nov. 10 Remembrance ceremony at Branch 594, Brause spoke about the Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen who have gone to “provide the support and bring the peace” because as a nation, Canada has no enemies.
Brause reflected on those who gave their service, their lives and those who have been mentally and horribly affected by PTSD.
“Let us remember and always teach our young people about the history we have as Canadians,” said Brause the laying of wreaths. Brause laid a wreath for Branch 594 as did he for Afghanistan veterans at the Tecumseh town hall cenotaph a day earlier.
Brause was originally scheduled to lay a wreath at LaSalle’s Remembrance Day ceremony at Cenotaph Park but could not attend because his scheduled talk with students at Villanova was postponed for an hour. He made a promise and felt honour bound.
Had Brause been a speaker in LaSalle, he would have talked about Canada’s role as effective peacekeepers and peacemakers and those who made the supreme sacrifice.
“We are no hear to glorify war,” said Brause. “War is an ugly thing.”
And Brause always ends with saying: “If you see a veteran, thank them because they put their life on the line to help others.”
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