Canadian War Museum updates section of Gallery 4: From the Cold War to the Present to explore recent conflicts

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

Ottawa, Ontario, September 21, 2017 — Beginning with the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1989, the concluding section of the Canadian War Museum’s Gallery 4: From the Cold War to the Present now explores Canadian involvement in international conflicts from the Gulf War to Afghanistan.

“The events covered in this section of Gallery 4 are within living memory for most of our visitors,” said Stephen Quick, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “This update allows us to better share the experiences of the people who faced some of the world’s most difficult problems overseas. We hope to provide visitors with a sense of how these missions have affected Canada and the world.”

The War Museum’s update to the concluding section of Gallery 4 explores key Canadian operations during the Gulf War, and those in Somalia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. In addition to examining Canada’s various roles in each conflict, this section also explores issues such as genocide, child soldiers, and the impact of land mines and improvised explosive devices.

Evocative artifacts, eyewitness testimonies and works of art personalize the effect of these missions. They include directional signs from Camp “Canada Dry,” where Canadian fighter squadrons were based during the Gulf War; weapons confiscated by Canadians during security patrols in Somalia; an Iltis patrol vehicle that was riddled with bullets during the peacekeeping mission in Croatia; boots worn by a soldier who was later awarded the Star of Military Valour for his part in the battle for the “White School” in Afghanistan; and the melted controls of a Chinook helicopter that caught fire after a hard landing in Kandahar.

The new concluding section of Gallery 4 highlights how Canadians responded in the face of new threats to international security. It also offers visitors the chance to weigh in on how these events have affected their lives, and to discuss the future of the world we live in.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

-30-

Media contacts:
Yasmine Mingay
Director, Public Affairs
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8608
Email: yasmine.mingay@warmuseum.ca

Avra Gibbs Lamey
Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer, Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8607
Email: avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca