It is Sunday November 11th. The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month. Will you REMEMBER? As a Canadian living overseas, there is no ceremony I can attend to show my respect and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice that was made by thousands of Canadians in the past century for our freedom. How lucky are we? How often do we actually stop and think about this question? Would we make the same sacrifice that our forefathers (and mothers) made? How quickly would we sign up to cross the Atlantic and fight on foreign soil? According to the CBC website, there is one Canadian WWI vet still alive- he is 107 years old. Even vets of WWII are dwindling, as time passes. How will we continue to honor their memory and show our appreciation?
I have included this photo because it struck a deep hole in my heart this past summer when I was home in Canada on holiday. The photo shows 6 hearses returning the bodies of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan and the thousands of Canadians that lined Highway 401 from Trenton to Toronto showing their respect. In many ways we are still at war in our role as peacekeepers throughout the world. I am very proud and thankful for these young men and women that fulfill this role.
My grandfather flew 3 tours of duty in the RAF during WWII. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross from King George and flew many bombing tours over Germany. His brother was killed when his plane was shot down returning from one of these bombing missions over Berlin. He was just 21. He is buried in a small cemetary in Oxford, England.
I have travelled to Vimy Ridge, to the beaches of Normandy. Even today it is hard to imagine what these men faced as they closed in for D-Day. The countryside surrounding that area of France is littered with cemetaries from WWI and WWII.
We are very lucky to have our freedom. This would not have been possible without the courage and determination of our many veterans. Take a moment, think about what freedom means to you and how lucky you are. Remember.
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November 11th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I forgot it was Veteran’s Day until a banker reminded me on Friday.
Then I remembered a friend who had volunteered for a second tour of duty in ‘Nam, thinking that his experience would help those coming in for the first time.
I know I don’t have the same courage he had and still has to face those grueling memories. I know I haven’t called him or his family in a while. I want to, just to say thanks. What a sacrifice.
Thank you for encouraging us to remember.