Since 1948, more than 125,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces have served with distinction and courage on peacekeeping missions in dozens of countries around the world, making valuable contributions that have enabled peace and stability.

I am honoured to count myself among them, having spent my first two operational deployments as a young officer wearing the blue beret alongside my Canadian flag. Indeed, I have experienced, firsthand, pivotal moments in the evolution of peacekeeping. For example, it was in September of 1993 when I realized, in the aftermath of the Battle of Medak Pocket, that our notion of peacekeeping had changed. Amid that bitter violence, considered by many at the time to be the largest scale action faced by Canadian troops since the Korean Conflict, we had to use force to ensure a broader, more lasting peace.

Nearly thirty years have passed since that battle, and as I contemplate that chapter in Canada’s proud military history, against the backdrop of an even more dangerous and complex world, it is undeniable that peacekeeping is still evolving, and will continue to do so.

As we look back at the past 75 years — as we reflect on a legacy of incredible service and sacrifice in the name peace and stability — we must also think about the next 75 years and beyond. What will the peacekeeping operations of the future look like?

It is difficult to predict. But this much is clear: Military intervention is often required to achieve stability, and I am certain that, in the decades to come, peacekeepers from all over the world, deployed all around the world, will continue to play a vital role in preserving peace, protecting human rights, upholding the rule of law, and promoting the democratic values we all hold so dear. It is also clear to me that there will be Canadians among them, continuing to serve with that same courage and distinction.

I am grateful to the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association for its tremendous work in producing this anthology relating the personal experiences of Canadian peacekeepers, thus ensuring our stories are remembered for generations to come.

General Wayne Eyre