Canadians have ample opportunity to remember and little excuse to forget.
As we approach Nov. 11, many smaller centres and schools have already held ceremonies dedicated to remembering the sacrifices of veterans.
Apart from refugees who fled war-torn countries, typical Canadians know very little of armed conflicts that continue to ravage parts of the world. In many ways North America remains sheltered from the ugliness of war. We can follow it on television and online, but most of us aren’t threatened by the immediacy of conflict as past generations were.
Although Canadian forces are still deployed around the globe it isn’t at the harrowing pace of the start of the last century. Many families and communities were decimated as strapping young lads ventured overseas in the hopes of defeating tyranny, never to return. Today, most service men and women volunteer as a career option which is commendable.
The little cenotaphs that dot the landscape, from one end of Wellington County to the other, stand as a testament to those who gave their lives.
Loss is but a distant memory for most families today. We encourage people to spend some time at those cenotaphs and become familiar with the names of veterans inscribed on them.
Our Royal Canadian Legion branches certainly do their best to educate and remind Canadians of the sacrifices made. Again this year the local Legion dropped by for a cheque to the poppy fund. We give it gladly, like many other businesses in the area. Veterans and their families deserve our support.
Canadians need to be grateful previous generations answered the call and served their country. It left open for them a world of choice and options which would have been closed had democracy not prevailed.
Please take a few moments this Remembrance Day and honour those who fought for our freedom.
