Although legions are stilled heavily focused on keeping alive the memories of the world war and Korean War veterans, that generation has mostly faded to history. Today, the bulk of veterans have seen tours in Bosnia, Haiti, the Golan Heights, and most notably Afghanistan. The fighting environment has changed drastically and so has the professionalism of the military itself.

Legions are cultural hubs for our veterans, and in essence are military establishments. That means respect needs to be paid to military customs and traditions. That is done through noticeable acts like removing your headdress, and through less noticeable acts like how you treat others. As we all know, hats aren't allowed in a legion unless they are for religious reasons. But that also means that acting like a prick isn't allowed either. Sure, go ahead and get drunk. Get silly. Let loose.

But don't think for a second that a legion is some sort of safe space for white, straight, predominantly Christian men. If that's what comes to mind when you think of a veteran then turn off your T.V.

Being drunk is no excuse, just like ignorance is no excuse.

A small minority of ignorant people with outdated ideas shouldn't be allowed to drive the public conversation about what happened at the Tignish Legion.

The CAF, like much of Canadian society, embraces a multitude of a colours, creeds and orientations. I can personally tell you it's one of our greatest resources. The contribution of our Sikh members has been--and continues to be very noteworthy. I've worked with Sikh members and last year had a Sikh recruit join the unit I was at. Being his immediate supervisor I never thought for a second or heard any other member of the regiment say that he didn't belong there. When he asked about getting an issued turban (dastar), and being allowed to keep his beard I had to tell him I wasn't sure what the procedure was. I had never dealt with it before. So I turned to the CAF dress regulations which had a special paragraph and illustrations for Sikh members.

Sikhism has a strong emphasis on having a warrior spirit and serving your community. The Minister of National Defence, Harjit Singh Sajjan is the poster child of a Canadian-Sikh soldier, and his appointment to that office greatly speaks to the role of Sikhs in the military.