Ships, Troops Begin Middle East Journey
Thousands of people lined the Halifax, Nova Scotia, harbor to bid good luck to the crews of Canadian ships joining the U.S.-led coalition in Middle Eastern waters.
“I am here to say on the behalf of Canadians that you are all heroes,” Prime Minister Jean Chretien said in a send-off ceremony.
“Canada is not on the sidelines. Canada did not pick this fight, but we will win it,” he said amid tight security.
Operation Apollo is being called one of Canada’s biggest troop deployments since the Korean War, with the country sending 2,000 personnel, six ships and seven planes.
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