A Day after Remembrance Day

This year I decided I would attend the Remembrance Day service in my former community. My sister is very involved in the service there, which is held at the Cenotaph. It was a simple, yet meaningful outside service that represented three communities. Mom at 91, was there wrapped in blankets and a guilt. We are not sure, but we think she has attended about 70 Remembrance Day services. She was one of three 90-year-old people at the cenotaph. Following the service, we went to the Legion for coffee and donuts. What a flashback to my childhood. We enjoyed a short program and then beef on a bun. As always, the Legion members made sure you were well taken care of.  

In 1942 when Dad was 20, he left his home for the first time and joined the Army. He spent time in Quebec and then went to Dunderin for advanced training. From there he went overseas to Scotland and England, followed by Africa and Italy. His job was to truck fuel to the tanks. Growing up Dad didn't share many war stories, but he would tell one that was life changing for him. He was sleeping in a stair well in the Poo Valley when Gerry started to drop shells on the building next to him. As his childhood flashed before him, he realized he was praying. He said it was at that moment that he realized there was a Lord watching over us from somewhere and one should pray for themselves.  

Dad never had an easy life, yet he never once complained or was bitter. When he was in Quebec, he contacted measles and spent Christmas in an Orphanage and Old Folks Home. He also spent 5 months in a hospital in England with Italian skin disease. While in hospital the war ended. He came back to Canada and spent Christmas with his family. He was discharged with $900 which he used to buy land. He was 27 years old when he went to visit his sister in Fort San which was a sanitorium for people with Tuberculosis. While there he had a checkup and found out he also had TB. He was told he had six to eight weeks to live. Dad once again turned to prayer and developed a theory in his life. It was that the Lord allowed him to pass over this world once and it was his duty to help everyone in any way possible. If he survived, he would do just that. Dad took on the fight of his life to overcome extensive damage to his lungs. He spent one-year total bed rest, 8 months of that were flat on his back. He was discharged three and half years later. At the age of 30, he was starting a new life as a disabled veteran.  

Dad was not a religious man; he kept his beliefs to himself. He worked hard to keep his promise and served mankind in any way he could. He was a devoted Legion member as all of them were. Even as the group got older, they gave back to the community and kept it strong as long as they could. The community honors their devotion with a display of veterans throughout the town. 

As a child of a veteran, Remembrance Day is sacred. I love how communities honor their veterans. Recently, I was cruising down Main Street in Minnedosa when their cenotaph caught my eye. It was breath taking. The wrap of poppies was made by community members. There are hundreds of poppies made of wool, I assume they are crocheted. Beside the cenotaph is a little white cross for every name on the monument. It is a breath-taking site and what an incredible tribute to their veterans. 

"No Stone Left Alone" is a program that is done at the Brandon Cemetery. This memorial foundation is dedicated to honoring and remembering Canada's veterans by school age students. By placing a poppy, flag or cross on veteran's graves it shows an appreciation for those who served and sacrificed for the country. It has been 80 years since World War II ended and much longer since the first war. This program helps children understand the sacrifices that have been made. 

I have been to a variety of Remembrance Day services and each one stirs deep emotion within me. The service in Ottawa is the grandest. You can't help but feel it deep in your heart. There are thousands of soldiers marching in unison and then standing in silence throughout the entire service. It is the elderly in the wheelchairs wrapped in a quilt that just tugs at my heartstrings. To see the soldiers with injuries that have changed their lives forever reminds me of the courage they had to fight and now live with those injuries. Most soldiers had a look of determination to get through this time of deep reflection and "not show emotion", some were unable to, and just wept.    

November 11th is a day that we honor and remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during war, conflict and peace. Everyone has their own way of honoring November 11th. Many families will remember their family members that they lost in the World Wars. They left home to fight for freedom and never came back. Other families, like my family will be remembering what it was like to grow up with a veteran. Life was forever changed for them, as they were just expected to cope. Then there is the last group of veterans, those that are serving our country right now. They are the group that have also gone to war, help other countries with conflict and have a big responsibility in keeping peace. The soldiers in the World Wars fought for freedom, those serving our country are keeping it for us. I have three veterans in my family that have spent most of their adult lives serving our country. I am so proud of them and what they have done with their careers. Remembrance Day is a day of reflection. However you spend it, I hope you took a moment to think, "what could I do to honor those that fought for freedom?". My Dad would say, "serve mankind".