Mine isn’t a bitch so much as a humble request. This Friday is November 11. Remembrance Day. The one day a year, (it should be more than one day IMO, but, that’s another bitch for another time), that we pay our respects to those brave men and women who answered their country’s call, fought and died so that we may live and enjoy our lives of relative peace, security and freedom. Volunteers all, they didn’t put themselves in harm’s way, fight tyranny, fear, oppression and pay the ultimate sacrifice for anything other than that we all may know a better future. This is not a day to debate about whether it was right or wrong. It is not a day to judge. It is not a day to argue about whether we should or shouldn’t have sent our military into action. It’s not a day for politics or political agendas. It’s not a day to take up a cause or to become a protestor or activist. It shouldn’t be ‘just’ a day off for some or a day of business, (IMO). It’s not a day to forget. It IS a day of reflection. It is a day to be patriotic and proud. It CAN be a day of sorrow. It is a day to teach and learn. It is a day to be with those you love. It is a day to count blessings and be thankful. A day to truly realize that despite all that is going on in this world, in comparison, just how good we have it. It’s a day that we continue to honour a promise to ‘never forget’. It’s a day of respect and remembrance. It’s the ONE day out of the 365 that we stop what we are doing, put all of that aside and each in our own way, pay our respects. A minuscule sacrifice on our part in honour of those who sacrificed everything.
My request is this: On Friday, if you have never taken in a Remembrance Day service, I urge you to take one in if at all possible. Or, watch the national service from Ottawa on TV. Take your children. Teach them why it is so important to remember. Finally, at some point, whether it’s promptly at 11:00 or even just before you go to bed, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever your opinion is, political or otherwise, about our armed forces, that you please just take a brief moment, open your hearts and honestly reflect in your own way, on what these men and women did, and continue to do to this day. I promise you it won’t take long and it’s the least we can do. Lest we forget. —Remembering With a Vast Amount of Respect
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2011.
I always attend, it was something I was brought up to do and I instill in my kids, I don’t judge those who don’t, it simply something I do. There is a cool video I believe by Terry Kelly which is about taken time to remember.
What is the schedule tomorow for beaverbank?
enjoy the long weekend peoples…
I’ll be at my desk as usual.
sweet dreams all
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jksiBAy…
I absolutely will, Avast0. Because I always do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKU3b7rnvlQ
Thank you for posting this Love.
GV…same time as everywhere else.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oGJ57j_jXk…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqUtL6WBuKk…
Good post. I’m working though.
ah.. and I just got the little hint as to your identity, OP…
Salute
I’ll have a moment of silence at 11 tomorrow at work, especially if I happen to have someone on the phone at the time. Shit, I should do that every day.
can’t fool us profilers^^that was very heartfelt clint, merci❥
as a person who saw first hand, what a war can do, even a modest battle. let me just tell you a little something. there are no real winners anywhere. sure, you might beat the other guy out, but in doing so, how many innocents suffer because of it.
from an old war horse that has been in the falklands, forget rememberence day, let’s have a no remember day, and forget all about people killing and wanting to kill others. we have enough of that on our streets daily.
yeah okay, so we should not forget those that gave their all,i will go with that. but also remember those that didn’t have a choice, and have never received any type of medal or award at all. i speak of those killed as collateral damage.
i will not be taking any part in any ceremonies tomorrow, because of my views. you all may do whatever you wish. but just hang on to this one thought. where were all the head honchos, while we all were getting shot at? the generals, and majors, and yes presidents and prime ministers. i didn’t see a one anywhere. if they start or get their big nose in a war, then how about getting the fuck out in front of us, aand showing what shit you have, not the bullshit you give for being there.
yeah, i know all you nice people will be issed because of what i wrote, so how about next war, you get in front of the troops, instead of shooting off your yaps at home. when the shooting starts, you start praying, that your name, isn’t on the enemies bullit.
Very clever Avast! In cryptic crosswords, that’s what’s called a “hidden” clue where the word is hidden in the sentence.
Whoops. …and yes we’ll take in the service.
Beaver Bank starts at 1030
This is a bitch? Everyone should at least once attend the Ottawa ceremony in person. The Halifax one is small. Very small in comparison. Hopefully they won’t focus on the recent fake wars like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, etc. Those had no impact on Canadians at all and were just make-work-projects for the Canadian military.
This just about says it all:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In mid-July, 1974, I was 13 and staying with my Grandmother in her farmhouse on the banks of the Nashwaak River. I was in the kitchen, listening to the radio and one of the last news stories was that there had been a coup on the island of Cyprus and that martial law had been declared. My Dad had been there since April, serving with the Canadian contingent of U.N. Peacekeepers. My Mom had been there for 5 days, on the vacation of a lifetime.
My Grandmother and I paid very close attention to the nightly news as chaos enveloped the island, streetfighting, ethnic cleansing and finally a full scale invasion by Turkey. It was another week before my Mom was able to contact us. She’d been evacuated from the island, crammed onto a Herc with other Canadian civilians and flown out to Lahr.
It took her two weeks to get a military flight home. Dad finally rotated home in November. By that time 2 young paratroopers, Perron & Berger had been killed. Another 2 dozen or so, wounded seriously enough to require evacuation to Germany. I can remember listening to the radio before school and hearing things like “Soldier from C.F.B. Edmonton killed in Cyprus, but first those Eskies lost another this weekend.” I can remember seeing my Mom collapse in tears, after an early morning phone call that dad was somehow able to make.
I think of much when I’m standing at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day . I think of those who served, those who died and their families. I’m sad and proud and grateful all at the same time. My parents are both still alive, retired, active and healthy. But I always spare a thought for what might have been.
Have a meaningful Remembrance Day everyone. Whatever it means to you.
Ivan.
thanks for sharing ivan
My privilege, Painey.
There are two things every Canadian should experience in Ottawa before they die: Remembrance Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Canada Day.
And Ivan… that was chilling…
SILENCE!
*crickets*
I chose to not go hang out & remember the sacrifices of the innocent soldiers for the greed & pride of their leaders.
Flame away.
your choice mr more, that’s the beauty of this country. the silver cross mothers make me weep everytime, what a burden they carry
I hear ya PG!
I went to the Beaverbank ceremony, they cancelled the parade and held the ceremony in the Fire Hall. The community showed up in full support, standing room only. My son was with me, we talked on the way home. He understands a bit more today than he did yesterday.
Awesome GV!
I’ll keep it simple:
http://www.fragtopia.com/images/news/dday.…
talking is good gv. we did two separate minutes of silence eastern and atlantic^^ i have attended both events in ottawa, rosie. there is this lovely old gal, from the ottawa feed, she wears a naval hat. i see her every year, she doesn’t seem to age
very poignant ttfn xox
Yeah, I like that TT. I saw her too, Painey. I always like when the children’s choir sings “I Vow To Thee My Country.” The rain started up heavy again in Dartmouth, just about at 11:00. Prior to that it was almost pleasant in the wind and the mist, hearing the pipes approaching up Ochterloney. That always sends a chill up the spine.
God love the old vets.
Yes, the temperature was quite nice, too bad about the rain.
i love the pipe and drum bands and it’s always good to see the kids. you are a military brat, i’m just a brat but i love the uniforms. i saw some bikers and then some cadets that the bear thought looked like bell hops^^also saw some kilts i didn’t recognize, bear said maybe the van doos
The bell hops were probably a contingent from R.M.C. You see those uniforms a lot in downtown Kingston in the fall. I loved the flypast. A Corsair and, I believe, a P-51 Mustang.
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I chose to not go hang out & remember the sacrifices of the innocent soldiers for the greed & pride of their leaders.
Flame away.
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(yawns)