In 2018, we marked the 100th anniversary of end of the First World War, the “war to end all wars.”
Immediately following that, the young men and women who survived the war faced The Spanish Flu andemic, then a scarlet fever epidemic, then the Great Depression AKA the “Dirty ‘30s” (a minor economic disturbance), followed by the Second World War. (Taken from a blog by Brendan McQuire)
We believe that we are in an era of upheaval and danger, but if we take a few moments to remember, we should recognize that those we are honouring faced challenges and threats that were as great as anything we can imagine. With far less scientific knowledge and technology than we have today, they only had their beliefs, their integrity and their courage.
Those who lost everything in the wars and disease deserve our remembrance and honour, but the ones who survived are the men and women who forged the world that we live in today.
We remember and honour those who fell in the strife that the world faced but we should also remember and honour those who survived. It was through their optimism, courage and hard work that bequeathed to us the society we have today.
There are so many stories that come from those who fought in the wars, and there have been so many wars. Stories of a veteran who drove fuel trucks along the front line so that the troops could continue the fight; POWs who survived to come home; peacekeepers who were sent out between the warring factions with six bullets and orders to account for all of them.
One veteran carried messages riding a bike and had the handlebars shot out from under him. Many of our younger veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the diagnosis and help was not available for older veterans.
The sacrifices and victories of those who lived through those times is a lesson and inspiration in these times, difficult though we may feel the times are currently. Wearing a cloth mask to prevent transmission of a virus is not much, compared to wearing a gas mask to protect against mustard gas. Maintaining a limited quarantine and minimizing a social bubble does not seem significant compared to being in a platoon fighting for its life on the front line of a fire fight. Staying six feet away from others does not seem like a huge sacrifice with our instantaneous communication compared to travelling to Europe on a ship, which could be torpedoed at any moment, to spend years fighting for freedom.
They left friends and loved ones behind for all those years with only the odd letter for communication.
We need to remember what they went through so that we could have a lifestyle they could never have imagined. We need to respect and honour those men and women who lost everything so we could have everything.
Although we cannot have our usual Remembrance Day service, buy a poppy, listen to the service on the FM station that will be provided on Nov. 11 from your car at a safe distance, or listen to the White Bear service on the 97.7 FM station. Watch the service from Ottawa. Whichever you choose, Always Remember.
This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony in Carlyle will look different, but it will still be meaningful for the community: File Photo
