Time marches on...

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know that since joining, I have always taken a moment to write about Remembrance Day. It is a topic about which I am very passionate and this year's post is quite personal.

Working with elementary school age children gives me a unique opportunity to share my love of history. I am a firm believer that we cannot understand today unless we know something about yesterday. With this in mind, about this time last year we had the privilege of having a Canadian Veteran visit our classroom. “Granddad G.”, is the grandfather of one the girls. “Granddad G.” told the group of his experience in WWII. His job was to fly Canadian built military aircraft from Canada to Europe. He spoke of the many adventures he and his fellow soldiers had flying in the black of night, often in subzero temperatures, trying to avoid detection by the enemy. The children enjoyed his stories and looking at a large map to see the routes he had taken. Of course they were also quite curious about the medals he wore on his blazer. The visit was a great opportunity to learn, firsthand, what kind of things went on during WWII.

This year I faced a dilemma. Unfortunately, “Granddad G.” has experienced a few health setbacks in recent months. He had been hospitalized for quite a while and only returned home two weeks ago. I mentioned to his granddaughter with all our sniffles and various ailments, it might be better, health wise, if “Granddad G.” does not visit right now and that I would ask our local Legion to send out a guest speaker. I suggested that perhaps her grandpa could visit in the spring or next Remembrance Day. She looked at me as tears welled up in her eyes and uttered the words “he may not be here next Remembrance Day”. A ten year old understands the sad reality of the situation. Eventually, for all our Veterans, time marches on and their heroic tales go with them to the grave...on this afternoon, in Room 104, the words of John McCrae meant more to me than ever before: "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high”.

Tomorrow, please honour our Veterans with two minutes of silence.
We owe our Veterans a debt that cannot be repaid. Please listen to their stories and pass them on to younger generations.

Veterans Affairs Canada

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How will you remember?

"We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness; our future is their monument."

Heather Robertson,

A Terrible Beauty,

The Art of Canada at War.

Toronto, Lorimer, 1977.

The Hour has hosted several guests who have witnessed war from various perspectives...a "leader", Ret. General Rick Hillier, "a wounded warrior", Master Corporal Paul Franklin and a "storyteller", embedded journalist Scott Kesterson. As television viewers we gain insight from their reality...one that is often harsh and painfully sad. As Canadians, on November 11th, we are afforded the opportunity to acknowledge and reflect upon the sacrifices made, both past and present, of our military.

How will you remember?

Often the individual act of remembrance is a personal one. For some it may simply involve wearing a poppy over the heart. For others it may mean attending a local Remembrance Day ceremony. Each year part of my Remembrance Day involves sharing a story with elementary school age children. Sometimes the story is to share a significant historical fact, while others have been designed to encourage empathy. This year the theme is simple...returning home. Attention will be paid to the now, all too familiar, Repatriation Ceremony.

Although not evident unless you look closely, the photograph above involves such a ceremony. The gravemarker is located at the Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez. This particular grave once contained the remains of a Canadian soldier killed during WWI. In 2000 the grave was exhumed and the remains entrusted to Canada in a ceremony that took place in Vimy, France. The remains were returned to Canadian soil in the most well-publicized Repatriation Ceremony ever. These are the remains that have been laid within the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in a sarcophagus placed at the foot of the National War Memorial in Ottawa. I vividly recall watching this event on television. I thought about that fact that to us, this soldier was an unknown victim of war. But at that one time he was a son and perhaps a brother, husband or father...he meant something to someone. Now he means a great deal to an entire nation.

Unlike the ceremony that surrounded the 'unknown' one, we now know the names of our fallen. We watch the grief on the faces of their loved ones, as a flag draped casket comes home. In recent years, the Repatriation Ceremony has taken on a new dimension. It simply started with everyday folks lining the overpasses of Highway 401 between Trenton and Toronto. They stood, with Canadian flags in hand, to await the motorcade of a fallen Canadian soldier on the way to the Coronor's Office in downtown Toronto. The movement grew and eventually led to this portion of the route being renamed the "Highway of Heroes". The impact of this simple gesture has been tremendous. The event even has its own song, aptly named Highway of Heroes.

Written by Newstalk 1010's Bob Reid (host of Rock Talk), the single was released on CD/itunes last week. A portion of sales will be donated to Wounded Warriors, a charity that "delivers quality of life, financial, benevolent and moral assistance" to Canadian soldiers. This is another way one can participate in an act of remembrance and support a very worthy cause.

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