Remembrance: Being Remember
- Thread starter Shades
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Because our local politicians haven't figured it out yet...
It should be a holiday.
This will be the warmest Nov 11 that I have seen... I remember being on parade in CFB Borden back in '83 in 3 ft of snow, and so damp that our great coats where white with frost, hands felt like pins and needles... I know it was worse for the men in WW1;
Remember the reason behind "Remembrance Day" and you don't feel as cold....
It should be a holiday.
This will be the warmest Nov 11 that I have seen... I remember being on parade in CFB Borden back in '83 in 3 ft of snow, and so damp that our great coats where white with frost, hands felt like pins and needles... I know it was worse for the men in WW1;
Remember the reason behind "Remembrance Day" and you don't feel as cold....
re holiday, last year at a party in Ontario I was told that Remembrance day was a school holiday in Ontario in the past and was removed in the 70s. I asked why and was told by a retired principle that the Legion had lobbied to have it removed so students would be forced to attend a service. I have no reason to doubt their statements.
Sorry to have digressed. MrsCALoki would amuse old vets at a Legion Hall and bring a smile to their faces on a somber day just by talking to them.
Yes back to the topic at hand. Caught a little of the Real Inglorious Bastards and explained to my little nephew when images of Adolf Hitler appeared that he was the most evil man in history who caused destruction, mayhem and human suffering. He asked me why. I said because he was insane, lusted power, and was filled with hate.
Later that evening, I saw War Story about Bomber Command, and that 55,000 aviators lost their lives. The personal accounts of the men who still live today in their 80s and 90s was emotional. Stories about flying so many feet above the ground when you have so many tons of bombs. About one guy who parachuted from his Lancaster Bomber and was saved by lynch mob of German civilians BY THE GERMAN SOLDIERS, because the bombing raids killed many women and children (whose husbands, brothers and sons were fighting on the Eastern Front). That parachutist survived, but none of his crew made it he learned later. About a gunner in a turret on the Lancaster who took direct hits from a ME-109 fighter. When another chap went to check on him, he said it was just a mangled mess of blood, muscle, and bone. He said he was in his forties, marrried with two children.
All of these guys told their stories with zeal, sometimes laughing at the crazy risks or things they did. But when they remembered their mates who didn't make it so many, many years ago, that's when they break down.
Even an ME-109 pilot was interviewed (he spoke in German with subtitles). He said he was shot down but the next time, he went after to 'kill' a bomber for revenge. But he regretted using the word 'kill', in that it was a terrible word. He seemed remorseful about what happened.
We are so lucky not to have experienced war first hand and be thankful for our vets and troops.
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This is always a time of year of heavy reflection for me. My Father was a WWII vet and although he survived the war, he did have health issues for the rest of his life. All the issues were directly related to events he experienced during the war.
Ultimately, his serving our country did cost him his quality of life and he did eventually die at a fairly young age.
Needless to say, Remembrance Day hits close to home for me.
I tip my hat and give thanks to all the veterans who put their lives on the line so that we might live in peace and have the outstanding opportunities and quality of life we have.
Ultimately, his serving our country did cost him his quality of life and he did eventually die at a fairly young age.
Needless to say, Remembrance Day hits close to home for me.
I tip my hat and give thanks to all the veterans who put their lives on the line so that we might live in peace and have the outstanding opportunities and quality of life we have.
In the late 50's and 60's, we attended morning Remembrance services at schools, so no holiday where I lived in Eastern Ontario.re holiday, last year at a party in Ontario I was told that Remembrance day was a school holiday in Ontario in the past and was removed in the 70s. I asked why and was told by a retired principle that the Legion had lobbied to have it removed so students would be forced to attend a service. I have no reason to doubt their statements.
I am not a good resource for this one. I was not part of your grade school system. I have one principal telling me it was, and
"I started school in 1975,and we certainly had that day off for most of the time I was in school here in Ont. Only for the last part of high school was the day not an out of school day" from
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080212200626AAVNieh
I had no idea mentioning this would be a controversy or so hard to pin down. Sorry
I do not think this is
That a debt like that is owed to the nation as a whole not to people individually, that a debt like that is not something that the "creditor" can say to the "debtor" you owe us.
There is a small town in Belgium, Ypres that remembers every day.
[video=youtube;nACpXZyHOA8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nACpXZyHOA8[/video]
[video=youtube;nACpXZyHOA8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nACpXZyHOA8[/video]
It has been carried on uninterrupted since July 1928 with the exception of the period when Ypres was occupied during World War II, the ceremony was resumed the evening (September 6, 1944) that Free Polish forces liberated Ypres in the Second World War, while heavy fighting was ongoing in other parts of the city.
There is a touching if probably apocryphal story that Queen Mary was visiting a field hospital where soldiers were mispronouncing the name of the city as Y-pers and Queen Mary would quietly say "Yeep” whereupon one of the soldiers said, don't worry Your Majesty the mice aren't really that bad here.
There is a touching if probably apocryphal story that Queen Mary was visiting a field hospital where soldiers were mispronouncing the name of the city as Y-pers and Queen Mary would quietly say "Yeep” whereupon one of the soldiers said, don't worry Your Majesty the mice aren't really that bad here.
I remember a few years ago, while filling up at Shell, I noticed a man with a Normandy Beach patch on the shoulder of his jacket. I walked over to him and introduced myself, saying that I noticed his jacket patch and just wanting to say thank you. We shook hands, he smiled softly, and nodded. He got in his car, spoke to his wife, and drove away slowly. Very few words were spoken, but so much was understood. It was very moving for me.
Sure, let's build up the Iraq and Viet Nam war so the next time our "leaders" call for blood in a foolish war there will be no shortage of wide eyed volunteers.
That is the kind of Remembrance day Harper likes...... I prefer to consider the suffering on both sides and search for ways to achieve peace.
That is the kind of Remembrance day Harper likes...... I prefer to consider the suffering on both sides and search for ways to achieve peace.
You either cannot read what was posted, because no one built up either war here, or you are just being an ass trying to impose your childish political agenda on a thread that should maintain some level of decency.
As pointed out above, while Canada did not participate formally in Vietnam, a lot of Canadians fought there for a cause they believed in.
In Iraq, the situation is even more blended. While Canada did not officially participate in the war, there were a small number of Canadian troops who were on exchange on in secondment positions with US units who actually participated in the fighting on the ground in Iraq with their American brethren and this includes some who were members of elite special forces units who went in very early. I do understand that any of these CF troops suffered any casualties.
