Scarce Heard Amid the Guns: An Inside Look at Canadian Peacekeeping

by John Conrad

In the Service of Peace simple words that adorn the obverse of every United Nations medal, yet behind this eloquence lurks violence and an unheralded heroism invisible to an often misunderstood quarter of Canadas military history. The Canadian contribution to peacekeeping is enormous but ensnared in a lethal mythology that has seen it abandoned to popular folklore. From the early and intrinsic Canadian contribution to the U.N. Emergency Force in 1956, through the blur of the frenetic 1990s down to the anemic level of contemporary Canadian participation, it is difficult to make sense of the wide circumference of this significant legacy. Until now.

Scarce Heard Amid the Guns provides an incisive perspective on the various Canadian missions: their omnipresent doubt and un-telegraphed terrors. This insiders guided tour of our military at war in peace introduces us to some of the men and women who carried the day ordinary Canadians who did extraordinary things and continue to bear the scars of forgotten fields in their bones.

Genres: Canada, Military Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2011

About the author

John Conrad has served thirty-four years in the Canadian Army. A bestselling author and a former colonel in the Army Reserve, he has authored a number of books and articles on Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, including What the Thunder Said, a Military Book of the Month club selection in 2009. He enjoys reading just about anything but particularly science fiction, military history and hard boiled detective fiction. John Conrad currently resides near Hastings Lake, Alberta.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concise look at all of the peacekeeping missions Canada has been involved in. I highly recommend it - especially if you think Canada doesn't need peacekeepers anymore #canada150 #readthenorth

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the role Canadian peacekeepers have played in many UN and NATO peacekeeping missions throughout the years. This should be required reading for all Canadians, so that they understand the contributions their fellow citizens have made in the attempt to make the world a better place for all.