Lewis MacKenzie

: "For the Virginia politician, see Lewis McKenzie".

Major-General Lewis Wharton MacKenzie, C.M., CMM, MSC (and bar), O.Ont , CD, (born April 30, 1940) is a retired Canadian general, author and media commentator. MacKenzie is most famous for establishing and commanding Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection Force UNPROFOR in Yugoslavia in 1992.

MacKenzie was born in Truro, Nova Scotia the son of Eugene MacKenzie and Shirley "nee" Wharton and raised in nearby Princeport. He is named after his great uncle, Liverpool, Nova Scotia schooner captain Lewis Wharton. MacKenzie's forefather Israel Wharton fought as a United Empire Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War, taking part in the Battle of Waxhaws. Israel subsequently settled in the Liverpool area.

Military career

MacKenzie enlisted with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and was commissioned in 1960. He served his first peacekeeping tour in the Gaza Strip in 1963, returning for a second tour in 1964, and then served with the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus the following year. He was promoted to Major in 1971.

MacKenzie retired from the Canadian Forces in 1993, after a 35 year career.

Controversy

The 2000 book "The Lion, the Fox, and the Eagle" by Carol Off criticizes MacKenzie's role in Bosnia, suggesting he was willfully ignorant of the Bosnian political situation and was manipulated into being a vehicle of pro-Serb propaganda.

MacKenzie's views on the Srebrenica massacre are controversial. He has written::"Evidence given at The Hague war crimes tribunal casts serious doubt on the figure of "up to" 8,000 Bosnian Muslims massacred. That figure includes "up to" 5,000 who have been classified as missing. More than 2,000 bodies have been recovered in and around Srebrenica, and they include victims of the three years of intense fighting in the area. The math just doesn't support the scale of 8,000 killed.""The real story behind Srebrenica", "Globe and Mail", July 14, 2005. [http://www.mail-archive.com/[e-mail]/msg00008.html] ]

He also disputes the categorization of the massacre as genocide by saying:

:"It's a distasteful point, but it has to be said that, if you're committing genocide, you don't let the women go since they are key to perpetuating the very group you are trying to eliminate. Many of the men and boys were executed and buried in mass graves."

The Cantonal Court of Sarajevo has opened an investigation against MacKenzie following testimony that he raped Bosniak women in a camp named Sonja (alias Sonya's Café), established by Serbs in Vogošća. [cite news |first=N. |last=Čubro |title=General Luis Mekenzi osumnjičen za silovanje |url=http://www.nezavisne.com/vijesti.php?vijest=1020&meni=3 |work=Nezavisne Novine |page=6 |date=11 October 2006 Mentioned in: cite web| author=European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Hercegovina| title=PPID Daily Media Summary, 12 October 2006| url=http://www.eupm.org/Clanci.asp?ID=1824&lang=eng| accessdate=2007-03-11.] This is a repeat of the 1993 charges based on the faked confession of Borislav Herak, charges long since rejected, as Slobodanka Borojevic reported, by the UN as "groundless" [Borojevic, S. (2006). Allegations against Maj-Gen MacKenzie a fabrication. "Serbiana." http://www.serbianna.com/columns/borojevic/042.shtml] "Newsday" reporter Roy Gutman--whose credibility was strongly attacked by Peter Brock [Brock, P. (2005). "Media cleansing: Dirty reporting, journalism, and tragedy in Yugoslavia" Los Angeles, CA: GM Books.] --has claimed that MacKenzie has received $15,000 from a Serb lobby group in USA for speeches in support of Serbian causes. [ [http://www.ericmargolis.com/archives/1999/11/index.php War of words continues over Kosovo] ] [ [http://www-tech.mit.edu/V113/N29/serbs.29w.html MacKenzie, UN and investigation about payments] ] [ [http://books.google.hr/books?id=r6uUUotWY4kC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=Roy+Gutman+Mackenzie&source=web&ots=CR_sPdyoVm&sig=ufqpAQpTsEgdp97oJVBR_IQNKHk&hl=hr Google book which speaks about Serbian lobby group and payment] ]

Retirement activities

MacKenzie is reportedly a lifelong automobile racing enthusiast. According to an article in the September 23, 2007 "Victoria Times Colonist", he is an enthusiastic, skilled, and competitive race car driver having won the 2007 Diamond Class Ontario championship for formula fords at the age of 67 .

Politics

In the 1997 federal election, MacKenzie was Progressive Conservative candidate for Parliament for the central Ontario riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka. Tory leader Jean Charest suggested that if their party won power, MacKenzie would become Deputy Prime Minister. The Tories improved their standing and regained official party status, though MacKenzie finished second to Liberal incumbent Andy Mitchell.

Media

MacKenzie is frequently sought by Canadian broadcast media as a security and military affairs commentator.

In 2005, following the appointment of Roméo Dallaire as a Liberal senator, MacKenzie wrote an editorial in the Globe and Mail entitled "Roméo, Roméo, wherefore art thou partisan?" arguing that Dallaire had compromised his previous stance by endorsing the Liberal Party's position on intervention in Sudan. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050519/COLEW19/TPComment/TopStories Roméo, Roméo, wherefore art thou partisan?] , "Globe and Mail", May 19 2005.]

Writing

MacKenzie is the author of two books:

* "Peacekeeper: Road to Sarajevo"

* "Soldiers Made Me Look Good: A Life in the Shadow of War"

Honours

MacKenzie is a recipient of the Vimy Award, which recognizes a Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of our nation and the preservation of our democratic values. [ [http://www.rmcclub.ca/everitaswp/?p=1430#more-1430 e-Veritas » Blog Archive » Misc ] ]

In 2006, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

References