A passion for the Second World War, the work of Canadian veterans, and a flair for mystery have landed a Victoria author in the Order of Canada.  

Mark Zuehlke, 69, one of Canada's foremost popular military historians, is being acknowledged for decades of work publishing exhaustive accounts of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 military history.  

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great honour,B次元官网网址� said Zuehlke, who began his work slogging through the mud of old battlefields and spending hours with veterans, exercising great scrutiny in accurately capturing the lives of those who served. He never expected to become a member of the Order of Canada, but he appreciates it, regardless.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very much a feeling of recognition for what I ended up doing. I never got into this thinking that it was going to be my life's work, but thatB次元官网网址檚 what itB次元官网网址檚 turned into.B次元官网网址�

He's being honoured for his work documenting Canada's military history and his award-winning mysteries set in Tofino.

Today, his Canadian Battle Series comprises 13 books and has received great acclaim, but it did not start off that way.  

B次元官网网址淚t took a long time before the series sort of gained the momentum youB次元官网网址檙e seeing,B次元官网网址� he said. When he began, Zuehlke says the topic of Canadian military history was seldom discussed, especially in popular media.  

B次元官网网址淭hose soldiers when they came home, they basically didnB次元官网网址檛 talk about their experiences,B次元官网网址� said Zuehlke. His books were some of the first to accessibly document these experiences, helping family members to better understand what their relatives had been through.  

Now Zuehlke resides in Saanich's north Quadra neighbourhood, but he originally hails from the Okanagan where he attended Caribou College B次元官网网址� now Thompson River University. His career began as a journalist, but he eventually migrated to freelance work. Later, a long-held interest in military history and the inspiration of his family members eventually inspired him to write his first book.  

B次元官网网址淯nlike ones who would not talk about their experiences, my relatives would,B次元官网网址� said Zuehlke.

B次元官网网址淢y great uncle Fred, he lost an arm at Vimy Ridge and he was never shy about talking about those experiences. My other uncle was a tanker in (the Second World War), and he also talked about that.B次元官网网址�  

Later Zuehlke met a group of veterans who had served at the Battle of Ortona, which he says was unwritten about at the time. B次元官网网址淚 thought, 'Well thatB次元官网网址檚 a shame, somebody should do a book on it,'B次元官网网址� said Zuehlke.  

B次元官网网址淚 thought somebody needs to make the book and then that was one of those moments of B次元官网网址極h, I guess I'm the guy.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� 

He thought that would be the end of it, but the book did well enough that The Canadian Battle series was born.  

While his passion has led to much of his success, his relocation to Victoria in 1992 played a major role, he said, since his early days of leaning on the work of UVic graduate students interviewing veterans.  

B次元官网网址淎 lot of people from all over Canada retire here. So it gave me an opportunity to not just be talking to people who had served in British Columbia units, but had served in units from across Canada,B次元官网网址� said Zuehlke.  

B次元官网网址淚 think Victoria was probably the only place that could have happened.B次元官网网址�  

The West Coast has inspired some of the author's other works including a series of mystery novels following a Coroner in Tofino. The series debut Hands Like Clouds was awarded the Crime WriterB次元官网网址檚 of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Arthur Ellis Award for the 2000 Best First Novel.

He hopes to return to the work someday, but for now, Zuehlke is focused on a contracted project for the Canadian Artillery Association. Then, he will work on the next book in the Canadian Battle Series, where Zuehlke will turn his sights to the Pacific and Canada's role during the war in Japan.