What price freedom?
CMAJ 1998;159:1081
Dr. Andrew A. Horn's letter "Dr. McCrae's expensive war medals" (CMAJ 1998;158[10]:1271) expresses a deplorable lack of awareness and sensitivity to the contributions and sacrifices made by 2 generations of Canadians in World Wars I and II. We owe these people a great debt for the peace and freedom we now enjoy. European war cemeteries contain the graves of more than 100 000 Canadian military personnel. The list of the dead contains the names of many of our professional colleagues, including Dr. John McCrae.
Medals are awarded by a nation to its service personnel for service in particular campaigns and for heroism beyond the call of duty. I find it sad that instead of the Canadian government or one of our medical associations, it was a private citizen who bought McCrae's medals to ensure that they would stay in Canada.
David B. Clark, MD
Barrie, Ont.
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