Golan Heights of Syria

1974 to present

Canada has been a peacekeeping presence in the Golan Heights of Syria since 1974. This makes it one of our longest-running international commitments. More than 12,000 Canadians have served in this region since the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force began there. The Golan Heights is a high plateau in the Middle East. Barbed wire, trenches and the wreckage of past conflicts between two bitter foes is still present. These are visual reminders of on-going tensions that could still erupt into flashes of violence. Canadian Armed Forces members who served in Syria have a deep understanding of how fragile peace is – and how important it is to protect.

Middle East

Syria

Syria is a small Middle Eastern country with a population of approximately 21 million people. It is located along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

Conflicts between Arab nations and Israel have defined much of Syria’s history in the last 75 years. In the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Syria and Egypt attempted to regain territory that Israel had captured during the Six-Day War in 1967. That territory included an area between Syria and Israel called the Golan Heights. Israel and Egypt reached a ceasefire agreement within weeks. A ceasefire between Syria and Israel didn’t take place until seven months later, in May 1974.

Canadian Armed Forces members during a training exercise in the Golan Heights in 2002. Photo: Department of National Defence IS2002-2771a

The Golan Heights

The United Nations created the Disengagement Observation Force in May 1974. This force supervised the ceasefire plan. It also monitored the situation afterward.

Syria and Israel agreed to form a buffer zone known as an "Area of separation." Located mostly in the area known as the Golan Heights, it is 80 kilometres long and up to 10 kilometres wide. No military presence is allowed there other than United Nations forces. Beyond this zone there is an "Area of limitation" where there are also restrictions on other military operations.

Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Soso Hudson receives the United Nations Disengagement Observation Force Medal. 2006. Department of National Defence IS2006-4539

The United Nations peacekeeping force stationed in the Golan Heights at any one time has numbered more than 1,000 personnel.

A Canadian Armed Forces member helps another soldier, who is wearing a gas mask, with his gear during a training exercise in the Golan Heights in 2002. Photo: Department of National Defence IS2002-2777a

Canada’s role

From 1974 to 2006, Canadian peacekeepers’ primary role in Syria was to provide logistical support for the other United Nations troops. Logistics is key to the success of any peacekeeping mission. In the Golan Heights, Canadians performed maintenance on the large fleet of United Nations vehicles. They also managed the ordering, storage and distribution of all mission supplies, from office supplies to clothing and food. Canadian Armed Forces members also maintained the radio and telephone systems for the peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights. The Canadian signals group provided phone and e-mail communications back to Canada for our country’s peacekeepers. Without these essential services, the larger United Nations contingent could not carry out their duties.

A Canadian peacekeeper changing the tire of a United Nations transport truck in the Golan Heights in 1974. Photo: Department of National Defence ME74-177

A large Canadian contingent served in the Golan Heights until March 2006, when Canada withdrew these troops. Since then, a small Canadian presence continues to spend time there as part of the ongoing United Nations peacekeeping efforts in the region.

Observation Post 73 stands on top of a hill in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization mission area in the Golan Heights. 2008. Department of National Defence IS2008-1292

Canadian heroes

In 1984, Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Ethell was Canada’s Force Commander in the Golan Heights. He made delicate last-minute arrangements for a large prisoner and body exchange between Israel and Syria. The situation was tense and violence was a possibility. Lieutenant-Colonel Ethell completed the exchange, which involved more than 300 prisoners of war and soldier remains. A year later, he again successfully arranged a similar exchange of more than 150 prisoners. Lieutenant-Colonel Ethell is one of Canada’s most decorated peacekeepers.

Constant tension

During the 1991 Gulf War, the United Nations forces in the Golan Heights were on high alert. Scud missiles launched from Iraq, aimed at Israel, flew overhead almost every night. For the Canadian peacekeepers stationed in this part of Syria, this was a time of constant tension and sleepless nights.

Sergeant Dale Bachmier in a guard tower at Camp Ziouani, Golan Heights in 2002. Photo: Department of National Defence IS2002-2755a

Digger the dog

Canadian Armed Forces members serving in distant, dangerous places have often found creative ways to cope. In the Golan Heights, for example, the Canadian contingent had a canine mascot. Digger the dog lived with the Maintenance Platoon and held an honorary rank of warrant officer. He was with Canadian peacekeepers for more than 25 tours of duty in the region. Digger even had his picture taken with the Prime Minister of Canada when he visited the troops in 2000.

Canadian sacrifice

In total, approximately 56 United Nations personnel have died in the Golan Heights, including four Canadians.

The nine victims of Buffalo 461

On 9 August 1974, a Syrian missile attack shot down a Canadian Armed Forces transport plane. The plane was enroute from Egypt, on a routine supply run for the new United Nations mission in the Golan Heights. Nine Canadian peacekeepers were killed.

Canada remembers

In 2008, the Government of Canada chose August 9 to mark National Peacekeepers’ Day. This date recognizes the 1974 attack in the Middle East. It is the highest single-day loss of Canadian life in any international peacekeeping mission.