A Canadian Military Mom
May 11, 2008
Gina Whitfield reviews a mother’s story:
A Mother’s Road to Kandahar, by Andria Hill-Lehr (Pottersfield Press, 2008; $15.95)
When you think of Mother’s Day, the traditional gifts come to mind, like cheesy greeting cards, flowers and chocolates. This year, it is safe to assume that Andria Hill-Lehr would like you to skip the sweets and, instead, buy your mother a copy of her new book, detailing her own struggle as an outspoken peace activist whose son, Garrow, recently served as a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.
A Mother’s Road to Kandahar presents Hill-Lehr’s complicated and emotional experience of being a military mom who is critical of Canada’s role in Afghanistan, with her child who is voluntarily participating in the mission.
Public criticism of the military’s agenda or of the politicians’ barking the orders is rarely heard from the mouths of soldiers’ families. There are exceptions, of course, like the notorious American mother Cindy Sheehan who started a protest across from Bush’s Texas ranch after her son was killed in Iraq. Here in Canada, however, we have heard little opposition from the families of the soldiers who are fighting in Afghanistan. Hill-Lehr’s book, then, represents something of a landmark in opening this topic up for discussion. more here
