Last night Julie and I had the honor of attending the Canadian Army Ball. It was a fancy black tie affair. We arrived to a troop of horse guards and officers in Scottish kilts. As we walked in, I realized I was one of the few people there in a tuxedo; almost everyone else was in their magnificent full-dress uniforms. And since it was the Army Ball, most of the uniforms were a blazing scarlet. I felt kind of shabby. No uniform, no medals. Julie, however, made up for my lack of style.

The whole night was great fun. Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, the Chief of Land Staff, gave a great talk. There was singing, dancing, bag piping, and a take on Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.

But the two highlights of the night were when Gen. Leslie read off the citations of the guests of honor, two members of the army who had served with great honor, bravery, and distinction in Afghanistan, and when they played a short film celebrating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Holland by Canadian Forces. The Dutch Ambassador and his wife were sitting at our table. At the conclusion of the film, they stood to honor the Canadian Forces. Everyone in the room joined them. A special bond obviously still exists between Canada and the Netherlands.
A great night.
DJ.