So the week of November eleventh is upon us once again. What's so significant about that particular day you ask? Is that the day America was attacked by Iraq? No, that was September 11, and I'm not totally sure anymore, but I don't think that was Iraq. Is it the day Fifty Cent's new movie is coming out? Well actually, yes it is. However, it's also a day we set aside each year to commemorate the veterans, past and present, who fought to give us the freedom we take for granted today. This is Remembrance Day, the day the Allied Powers signed a cease-fire agreement with Germany, outside Rethondes, France, signaling the end to World War I.

World War I you ask? Well, I'll tell you about that some other time. I can understand how you may become confused. The word “Freedom,” does not mean the same thing to all of us. For some, it means an excuse for one powerful nation to invade another less powerful nation for personal profit. For others it means being given a chance to make choices about the outcome of our lives; not, to make the choice about the outcome of someone else's.

I am taking this opportunity to ask you to do a little extra this Remembrance Day. Actually, you can start by doing the bare minimum; that is, “remembering” in the first place. Over the coming year join me in trying to get to know the seniors in our community. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a grandfather or grandmother who were in the war. Remember, even if they weren't IN the wars they were probably affected by them in some way, and would have some fascinating tales to tell.

Or go one step further and go down to the Legion. Some men won't talk about their experience, which is completely understandable; but I bet that even if they didn't say so, they would appreciate knowing that in the autumn years of their lives, some young people are still interested. On the other hand, some will talk your ear off.


Think about it, soon there will be no one alive who has firsthand experience of landing at Juno Beach. All we will have is books, which are fine for our grandchildren, because that won't be their fault. Who knows? Maybe they will have their own war to fight. But WE still have a chance; these veterans are still with us.

As well, I ask you to take an even bigger step. Remember those that are NOT Canadian at all. In Afghanistan, New York, Chechnya, Iraq, Madrid, these are people like you and me who are in many cases, blindly following orders. Confused and taught to hate by religion and politics they are often allowed to know little about.

So this November 11, if you pause for two minutes of silence, reflect upon the choices we have made and the path we will follow into the future.

“And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me

And I watch my old comrades how proudly they march
Renewing old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly all bent stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask “What are they marching for?”
And I ask myself the same question
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all”
- And the band played Waltzing Matilda, by Eric Bogle

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