Behind every military medal, a story

VeteransPublished Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 11:11PM ESTLast updated Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010 10:22AM EST1 comment

We see them every Nov. 11: A confetti of striking colours emblazoned across veterans' chests as we honour those who fought for Canada's freedom and the freedom of others.

From ‘freebies' shared with civilians to those awarded for having the courage to serve in the trenches, from honours for maintaining tenuous peace in war-torn regions to those for tours of duty in some of the world's most forbidding areas. They belong to Canada's warriors. To Canada's peacekeepers.

And they reveal the secrets of battles fought, of trials and tribulations persevered, of sacrifices made in the shaping of our nation and in helping it claim its spot on the world stage. Here are the tales behind the decorations.

Veteran Tom Hoppe is seen outside of his home in Kingston, Ontario on November 6, 2010.— Jennifer Roberts for The Globe and Mail

Tom Hoppe, 43

Sergeant, Lord Strathcona’s Horse, Kingston

“I had no intention of getting medals. There are always trophy hunters, that's human nature. Maybe to some, a medal is a trophy. To me, it's not. I didn't say. ‘I'm going to be a hero.' There's something to do. You get it done.”

Tom Hoppe's medals are seen left to right in his home on November 6, 2010: Meritorious Service Cross, given for leadership and bravery under fire during 1993 Bosnian tour; Medal of Bravery, for rescuing three kids trapped under sniper fire during the 1993 Bosnian tour; Special Service Medal, for NATO tour in Europe 1985-1990; Peace Keeping Medal, given to all soliders who serviced on a peace keeping tour; United Nations Protection Force Medal, 1993 Bosnia; Canadian Forces Decoration, for 12 years of good service— Jennifer Roberts for the Globe and Mail

1. Meritorious Service Cross

“Bosnia, 1993. They called it a peacekeeping mission, but I totally disagree with that term. It was a full-out war. The term peacekeeping is a myth. … I worked in a patrol of eight guys. We were involved in a number of incidents, a number of firefights. The medal is just not for me, its for the eight guys, without whom I wouldn’t have been able to do what I had to do. It’s for leadership.”

2. Medal of Bravery

‘Three or four kids were under sniper fire [in Visoko, outside Sarajevo.] I went out with another guy and pulled them out. The Meritorious Service medal and Medal of Bravery were both given for the same tour. At that time – it’s since changed – that made me the most decorated Canadian soldier since Korea.”

3. Special Service Medal

“For serving in NATO in Germany. You get it for serving 30 days in theatre. I was there for five years.”

4. The Peacekeeping Service Medal

“Everybody got this. It’s for being on a peacekeeping tour. For peacekeeping anywhere in the world.

“Peacekeeping – this big myth that we go over and hand out flowers and build schools. That’s part of it, but you can’t do that until there’s peace. Peacekeeping is war. We put this perception in people’s minds that it’s safer.”

5. United Nations Peacekeeping Protection Force Medal

“This was specific for peacekeeping in Bosnia. Sarajevo was just blown to crap. I sat on a hill overlooking the old ski jump from the Olympics and parts of the city, watching it constantly shelled.”

6. The Canadian Forces Decoration

“This is for 12 years of good service. Nothing special. If you get some jail time, you’re not going to get it. I did my job.”

WWII Vet Andrew Bogle who is now 86 years old and lives in Calgary, AB. Born in Scotland he arrived in Canada with his parents in 1927. He enlisted with the Navy in Winnipeg in February 1943 and served 32 months on the H.M.C.S.Nene, a British Frigate with Canadian Crew. He was photographed in Calgary on Friday, November 05, 2010.— Chris Bolin for The Globe and Mail

Andrew Bogle, 86

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Gold Medal Plates is in Edmonton again this week

Wednesday, I’ll be judging at the event, a sold-out fundraiser for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams. Many fit athletes are expected at the Shaw Conference Centre for Gold Medal Plates, including Adam van Koeverden and Alex Bilodeau. To date, Gold Medal Plates has raised some $4 million for the Olympic movement in Canada.

Follow me on Twitter (@eatmywordsblog) as I join forces with Edmonton food and wine judges including Nathin Bye of Wildflower (last year’s winner and one of the 10 chefs pictured at right competing in the 2009 event). I’ll announce the 2010 Edmonton winner on edmontonjournal.com at the evening’s end. Here are the chef competitors: Tracy Lydster of The Dish, Shane Chartrand of L2 at the Fantasyland Hotel, David Omar of Zinc, Jan Trittenbach of Packrat Louie and Daniel Costa of Red Star. Returning favourites are Paul Shufelt of Hundred, Michael Brown of Pradera at the Westin, Paul Campbell of Cafe De Ville, Andrew Fung of Blackhawk Golf Course, and Susan Kellock of Skinny Legs and Cowgirls.

The event has been such a huge success that organizers decided to push it past the original goal of collecting funds for the Vancouver 2010 games. Now, it’s a yearly competition. Edmonton is the first city in the Canada-wide contest, which culminates in the national championship Feb. 18 and 19, 2011, in Kelowna.

 Go to goldmedalplates.com for more information.

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Andrew Fung knocked himself out last night for Gold Medal Plates

Today, the gold medal winner was still riding high.

"It's exciting, it was like a dream," he said in a phone interview Thursday morning from Blackhawk Golf Course, where Fung is executive chef.

Fung, 32, says he was inspired to create his award-winning duo of Alberta beef after a trip to Las Vegas last winter, where he saw hanger steak being used at Joel Robuchon Restaurant. Robichon used the flavourful, but challenging cut, in a steak sandwich, but Fung thought it would also work well as a carpaccio or another thin-sliced and marinated meat. He decided to do an Asian twist and tackle a beef tataki with ginger and scalllion relish, shaved Asiago (to hint at the Italian carpaccio style) and cold pressed olive oil with a tangy ponzu sauce.

"I am the only one with an Asian background (in Gold Medal Plates) and so I thought I would go with that," he says.

He started by serving gyoza, stuffing the egg-y dough with braised short rib and a bit of foie gras to add a little fat flavour. A veal reduction  and apple puree and oven-dried tomato confit accompanied the dish.

For more beautiful pictures of stunning food shot by Journal photographer Greg Southam, go to our photo gallery at edmontonjournal.com/photos. For more on Gold Medal Plates.

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