Magazine Contributors Frans Hertoghs Kiwikorrels: Recognized heroes
| Kiwikorrels: Recognized heroes |
 New Zealand is one of the few countries that never experienced war. At least if you do not count in the Maori wars halfway the nineteenth century. They were considered clashes and there were is many between the Maori mutually as between Europeans and aboriginals.Of course, New Zealand has an army, but that is hardly needed. By Frans Hertoghs The nearest neighbour is Australia and that lies almost three thousand kilometres away, approximately the distance between Amsterdam and Cairo. The next potential enemy is more than twice as far away as that. New Zealand is simply too far away to run the risk of ever being conquered. From time to time a small contingent of troops is sent to a country, such as Afghanistan or Iraq, an English speaking country is waging a war with. Looking for heroes But this society has an urgent need for heroes, and then not just the Peter Jackson and Edmund Hillary type of heroes. Soldiers are in hot demand. Everything concerning military gets a disproportional amount of attention. For example the stolen war medals were front page news for several weeks. For months on end the brave Maori corporal who got a beautiful medal from the English queen has been the celebrated hero the kiwis can not get enough of. The Australian and New Zealand soldiers are honoured on the national holiday 'Anzac Day'. Annually Anzac Day gets as much attention as liberation day in the Netherlands. Dirty war Every war seemed to appeal to the imagination of the good kiwis. Except the Vietnam War. Under heavy pressure from America -where do we know that from?- some units were sent, in total 543 man. The opposition in New Zealand was unprecedentedly strong. One anti-Vietnam demonstration counted 35,000 participants. When the soldiers returned from the dirty war they were ignored by the opposed and sometimes even spitted on and red paint poured over them. And whereas other -loaded with medals- veterans walked in the front rows of the commemorative parades, the Vietnam veterans were forgotten. They felt uneasy about that. Of course, all New Zealand soldiers are volunteers. Of course they could have refused to go to Vietnam. But they were not responsible for the war, were they? They only went to help, didn't they? Apologies And now, after almost forty years of deafening silence the government has offered its apologies to the 37 killed and the 1400 survivors and their families. Tears and parades with hundreds of spectators, accompanied by planes and helicopters. From now on they are allowed to walk along, with pride, in the commemorations of World- and Boer Wars, they get medals and public appreciation. The Vietnam war has been incorporated in the range of heroic deeds. Romance We Dutch look in bewilderment to the show of polished veterans with the breast full of medals from a war of dozens of years ago. And that in a country where war is unthinkable. Where all soldiers are volunteers. Where in spite of all war rhetoric no soldier was ever killed to defend his own country. Where the government sent volunteers exclusively to English or American allies. Football might be called war, rugby symbolises total war. Hence the popularity in this hero hungry country. The dark side of the safest nation in the world that will never get enough of both types of war. The Dutch version of this article is published in the May/June 2008 edition of Holland Focus.
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