"All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'Guess what was at the other side of the hill.' ".— Duke of WellingtonAt the famed Battle of Waterloo in 1815 — the 207th anniversary of which, is in just a few days (June 18) — the Duke of Wellington arranged his troops on a hill just out of sight of Napoleon's French army.In a clever move, he placed them in squares ... waiting for the inevitable French cavalry charge, which happened when Marshal Ney, believing some British forces were retreating, ordered a massive attack.Known as the “bravest of the brave” to the soldiers of the French Army, Ney led a brigade of cuirassiers and two divisions of cavalry, 5,000 strong.It would be a disaster for the French — not a single square broke. British troops aimed for the horses, and cut down the vaunted attackers, veterans of the Napoleonic campaigns.Of his own troops, which would lead the Anglo-Allied army to victory, Wellington was brutally honest. "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."That incredible British military tradition, which exists until this day, was on parade as the United Kingdom celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II this weekend.And what a grand celebration it was.Could there possibly be a greater connection with the past for a freedom-loving nation that still honours the monarchy? And how lucky we are, as Canadians, to share this wonderful history and pass it on to our children.Look, I have friends who believe strongly in the monarchy, and, those who don't. And I've heard all the arguments for and against.Personally, I do back it, and let me tell you why.And it has nothing to do about fancy concepts, such as colonialism, imperialism, empire, slavery, rule of law, equality of opportunity and free enterprise. None of that stuff.For me, the number one reason we should be celebrating Queen Elizabeth II and her 70 years as head of state, with a toast, is because it separates us, from those folks south of the 49th parallel.Apologies to our American friends, but man, we are not like you, we never will be like you, and we do not want to be like you — and I am so, so grateful for that.As my Uncle Fred from Winnipeg once told me — Fred the Red we called him, because he was an ardent communist on the RCMP watchlist — "America likes to fight, Davey ... America likes to fight ..."On that point, he was right. It seems, that ever since the Second World War, America has been involved in one war or another, either on its own, or by proxy.And it is for this reason, that my Dad turned down a lucrative job, a house, good pay and other benefits, offered by a big Chevrolet dealership in Detroit, back in the early 1960s.My Dad was an ace mechanic and he was in demand. As a child, I had dreams of moving to Detroit and growing up American. And getting lots and lots of toys. All my American cousins had ten times the toys I had!No way. Didn't happen. And I'm glad it didn't happen. Decades later I asked my Dad, then in his 70s, why he turned down that job.He paused, looked down at the ground and said, "Because ... if my boys are going to fight in a war, let them fight for Canada."And that was that. Money isn't everything, folks.My Dad, who was born in Canada in the 1920s, the son of Ukrainian immigrants from Galicia, believed strongly in the Canadian way. And thank god he did.Had we moved over the border, there is no doubt Jim, my older brother, would have been headed for the Vietnam War, and a slim chance of survival.Jim, who took part in anti-war protests in Detroit and was photographed and carded by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, would have been a prime target for the draft.If you didn't have a strong reason for being turned down, you were going to Parris Island for basic training.My other reason for belief in the monarchy, aside from the immense benefits of tourism and offsets that the UK economy enjoys as a result of British royalty, is Canada itself.While some of my academic-type friends cringe at the thought of the "Canadian cultural mosaic" and the dreaded "multi-culturalism" expression, suggesting none of this actually exists, I would tend to disagree.For the basic reason the great experiment that Canada represents in this troubled world of ours is working — and it is something I am very proud of.Let's face it, getting immigrant status to Canada is like winning a lottery for much of the world. While the streets aren't paved with gold and we don't have a Statue of Liberty, this country of ours is pretty damn good for one and all.Have we become blind to that, as we complain about high taxes, the price of fuel, the rising cost of living, an inept prime minister and useless politicians?All that stuff is happening, but ... we are still fortunate to live here, believe me. And we are richer for the fact that we have welcomed people from all the nations of the world to become part of it.And let me throw one more thing at you, that you may not be aware of. The Queen herself.What an amazing lady.This story especially, touched me deeply.It was published by Indy100.com this week.Harriet Lowther, a photography student, was strolling with a friend and a Westie named Sailor near the Queen’s Scottish residence in Aberdeenshire in 2008.“A Range Rover stopped directly in our path, there was no way for us to avoid it so we put our little dog on a lead,” the 36-year-old artist explained.“The Queen had seen a fence post that had fallen down and she stopped the car and got out to fix it.“She let her corgis out and they saw our dog… they started barking at our dog and she heard that. She called her dogs and put them in the car and I thought, ‘Oh she’s going to go on her way because we’re Joe Public,’ but she didn’t ...”Lowther said the Queen approached them and asked if they lived locally and what they were studying, as well as commenting on the weather.“I never thought I’d meet the Queen… I didn’t freak out, I was just in shock," she said.“She seemed very nice, very down to earth — she could have jumped in the car and sped off but she didn’t.”Let me repeat that ... the Queen of England, stopped to fix a broken fence post, and took time to engage in a chat.Royalty, but also real. Knowing the importance of her role in British society and making everyone feel like they are the most important person she will talk to that day.And all with that wonderful, engaging smile.This is the same woman, by the way, who insisted on studying auto mechanics and becoming a truck driver during the Second World War while just a teenager. The media would dub her, the "Princess Auto Mechanic."She also remains the only female member of the royal family to have served in the Army, which she insisted on doing.It is also worth noting, the admiration that Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II had for each other.According to the International Churchill Society, Winston and The Queen thoroughly enjoyed one another’s company. Jock Colville wrote that Churchill “was madly in love with the Queen … and that she got more fun out of her audiences with Churchill than with any of his successors.”The Queen’s Private Secretary Sir “Tommy” Lascelles would write: “I could not hear what they talked about, but it was, more often than not, punctuated by peals of laughter, and Winston generally came out wiping his eyes.”Two giants of history, who changed the world. And how lucky we are for that.God Save the Queen.
