My dad, like many young poor Black men was drafted into Vietnam. He ditched the first opportunity he got because he had no time for an imperialist war and would not die for a racist country. Which of course made him find his way to Canada.

My maternal grandfather and relatives served in WWII for Canada. They too drafted, many didn't come home, those who did were not the same. My grandfather drank consistently and was not kind to his wife or child, my mum.

My dad much the same way. Wars traumatize people and unless they get care, they will often pass that trauma down to their descendents. My dad was terrifying.

This too is intergenerational trauma.

While I have broken many of the patterns, my ongoing anxiety issues, I'm sure have imprinted on my own kids.

The survivors all were traumatized to the point where they could not function well in society and largely abandoned by the governments that sent them to die. They brought that trauma home to their families and processed it badly.

I think it is important to remember the taking of their minds, bodies and spirits, but I think it is more important to hold governments accountable to ensuring their care afterwards and ensuring this does not happen again.

I am not confident the heads of state are capable of making sound decisions that will prevent catastrophic wars and that is on the people who have forgotten or been privileged enough to understand the generational toll war takes on people.