Victory Square Cenotaph
I always feel a sense of sorrow and gratitude on November 11th. I know that my great grandfather went to war when he didn’t have to so that less of Canada’s young men needed to go. My grandfather was in the Navy and so was Anthony’s dad. My father was in the reserves, and there are so many more of our family that are either in the armed forces now or were. Aidan and Quinlan’s uncle Jimmy is in Afghanistan again. Remembrance Day is not just a tribute to those in our armed forces who fought in both the first and second world wars. Remembrance Day is so that we remember those sacrifices that men and women made in the past and are still making today. We remember those husbands and wives and families that are left behind when a soldier goes away to defend.
This is part of the reason that for the last few years I have brought Aidan and Quinlan to the War Memorial in downtown Vancouver. As much as I hate the thought of war, sometimes it is necessary. We need to remember those that have died and those that are still living. They need to see that they and their sacrifices are not forgotten and that the youngest of us will remember.
We Remember
Parading along Hastings
RCMP Marching