The men and women who serve in the Armed Forces or with a police force share many core values, and all of them ought to be remembered for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make today, Weyburn residents heard Sunday at the Remembrance Day
The men and women who serve in the Armed Forces or with a police force share many core values, and all of them ought to be remembered for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make today, Weyburn residents heard Sunday at the Remembrance Day services held in the Weyburn Legion Hall.
These were part of the remarks by the guest speaker for the services, police Chief Marlo Pritchard.
After two days of a heavy snowfall in Weyburn and surrounding area, and a cold biting wind that continued on Sunday morning, the outdoor portion of the ceremonies, held in Memorial Park at the cenotaph, were abbreviated with the majority of the ceremonies taking place inside.
A shortened parade was held, with the Legion's Colour Guard, representatives of the RCMP and city police, veterans, Girl Guides and Scouts and dignitaries marching up one block from Coteau Avenue to the cenotaph, where about a dozen wreaths were laid, and Comp student Alex Watson played the "Last Post" and "Reveille".
While a good number of people braved the wintry wind and snow outside, the Legion Hall inside was nearly filled to capacity for the main ceremonies for Remembrance Day.
The Silver Cross War Mother, Elsie Lix, was introduced inside and laid her wreath at the front of the Legion Hall.
The Variations community choir shared two songs, "The Prayer" and "I Will Remember You", directed by Sharon Elliott.
A prayer and scripture were offered by Rev. Martin Olson, past president of the Weyburn Ministerial Association.
Carol Sommerville, representing Souris-Moose Mountain MP Ed Komarnicki, relayed his comments, including that two significant anniversary dates are being observed this year: the 70th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, and the 95th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, a key battle in France during the First World War.
Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan said we need to remember those who served so that we can live today in security and peace, including those who served in the two world wars, Korea, and through to Afghanistan, and those who are deployed today keeping the peace in various locales.
Taking note of the Dieppe raid, he pointed out that Weyburn's South Saskatchewan Regiment played a big part in that action during the Second World War, and ended with a quote from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as he paid tribute to those who suffer for a good cause, saying the sun will dawn on them.
"People all over the world are united in their thanks and praises today," said Mayor Debra Button, noting how men and women fought for human rights and for freedom.
She said today there are people who pose a danger to residents and travelers without looking the part, as their "tools of destruction have become so efficient they are beyond our imagination."
Mayor Button said this particularly hits home when it's no longer just grandparents and great-grandparents that we pay tribute to, but sons and daughters of people raised in this community who are currently serving at home and overseas.
"This is a day of hope and a day of opportunity," she said. "We will never forget, because today we can live a life of peace and freedom we must always celebrate Nov. 11 as Remembrance Day, to remember those who have made the sacrifice for us, lest we forget."
In the introduction of Chief Pritchard, it was noted he spent a year in Kosovo, with a police-based peacekeeping contingent in the former Yugoslavia.
In spite of that, the chief said at first he found it very difficult to do as he was asked, in comparing how the police force and veterans have many commonalities.
"Our veterans were asked to serve their country for extended periods of time, serving for six, nine, 12 months at a time. In Canada as a police officer I can go home at the end of my shift and be with my family, and most of our police officers do that," he said, adding that veterans often had to deal with foreign languages in the countries where they were fighting, where this is rarely a need for the local police to deal with.
"Our police are in communities that for the most part support us in our day-to-day work. Our veterans didn't always see that. Here in North America, we have the rule of law," said the chief, where veterans and the military often saw situations that were quite different.
Where the police and veterans of the Armed Forces (and current serving members) have a common ground, he said, are in their core values, which he began to list.
The first of the core values is loyalty; veterans have a loyalty to their unit, and to the men and women who stand beside then and support them.
"We have the same value of loyalty; we're loyal to the organization and to the men and women who serve beside us," said Chief Pritchard.
Respect is another core value they share, along with that of integrity, which he said "needs to be the foundation for what we do."
Courage is also a shared core value, he said, particularly as they have to face situations that induce fear inside, the fear of death.
"Your body is saying 'I can't go there', but your main drive is to act in spite of the fear of death, to benefit society."
Pritchard said he's been privileged to have served as a police officer both with the military and with police from all over the world in Kosovo; he noted some of the members of the military had different ideas about such things as human rights.
"What I can say when we were working side by side is we were together in our mission to make sure the people had safety and that human rights are respected," said Pritchard.
"It doesn't matter that we wore different uniforms and had different kinds of training; we can be called on to reflect those core values when people's lives are at risk," he added.
Quoting Churchill, he said, "We make our lives by what we get, but we have a life by what we give."
He expanded on this idea by saying, "We can make a life better for others by what we give. It's an opportunity I really do believe this reflects the core values of both the veterans and the police, and it doesn't just stop there. They continue to serve our communities through being dedicated to the service of all our communities. It even continues after they stop wearing their uniforms, so again, we must remember them, that people gave their lives so that we might have freedoms and rights."
Chief Pritchard said he personally wanted to thank every veteran who was present for what he or she did for the betterment of society.
"It's because of their willingness to serve that I've had the privilege to grow up in a free country. Again, I remember; that's why we're here today," concluded Chief Pritchard.
The last remarks went to Rick Moser, vice-president of the Weyburn branch of the Legion, who told the audience, "Even though Nov. 11 is a special day, there are 364 other days in the year in which you can thank a veteran."
