For the first time in 100 years Canadians are asked to pay homage in private to those who have served our country and the world during times of war, military conflict and peace.
As always, our thoughts go to the individuals who fought for our freedom and peace. But this year, due to a pandemic we may understand a little better what it means to have our freedom curtailed as our world is changed by a silent and deadly virus.
READ MORE:Remembering John Augustyn: one of Revelstoke’s last Second World War veterans
At this point, joining together as we usually do to honour these brave men and women would be contrary to safe health practices. Yet, honour them we must. So, this year we do this in small groups or in private. By remembering their service and sacrifice, we recognize that tradition of freedom these men and women fought to preserve.
They believed that their actions would make a significant difference for the future. Yet, as time moves on and we distance ourselves from the world wars, it is our responsibility to make sure that we educate our children on the atrocities of war so that these types of events never happen again.
This education process is up to our entire community and in fact the entire free world to enforce the fact that peace can remain through exchange of ideas and the acceptance of each other, our commonalities and our differences.
My 11-year-old granddaughter recently asked me if any of our family had gone to war. When I explained about my Uncle John serving Canada overseas during World War II, she continued to ask questions, about what he did in the war, did he survive the war, what did I remember about him and on and on.
Then I explained that he had survived, came home, married, had six children, and died only four years ago at the age of 95. When I asked her why she was asking, she stated that she needed to write him a ‘letter of thanks’ as part of her school project. So, our challenge is to see we never forget and those who have never seen war, understand it, so that they never have to experience it.
When war has come, time and again Revelstokians have been quick to volunteer to serve their country.
They joined Canada’s war effort prepared to defend, to care for the wounded and to provide economic and moral support. The following words were not written by me, yet they are mine: “I have not sacrificed anything for my freedom. It was given to me, by those who came before me and sacrificed so much. So now, it is my responsibility to never forget the service and sacrifices of more than one and half million Canadian soldiers, sailors, aircrew, and merchant seamen. They died so I could have the freedom to stand here and give this speech. So, I could get an education. Get a job. Live a free life. I am forever in their debt. Because they lost so much….and because they gave everything. I thank them. I will always remember.”
Today, wherever we are, we honour in peace and safety, we pay our respects to all the fallen, all the wounded and all who served in conflicts over the past 100 years.
Our duty is to honour them by making sure this never happens again.
Today, we stand in honour of these men and women and commit to them that we will continue to live in peace.
Mayor Gary Sulz
City of Revelstoke