What Does Remembrance Day Mean to You?
Remembrance Day appears to be on the verge of shrinking into obscurity. Most of us haven’t lived through an armed conflict—especially on Canadian soil! I didn’t have any forebears who fought in World War I or II, perhaps a lucky quirk of the timing of generations, but my father served in the Air Force Reserve post-Cold War and proudly claimed veteran status. So, on Remembrance Day, I have a person to associate with defending our country and values.
But these links are fading, and it is easy for us to forget about Canadian peacekeepers and missions in Bosnia, Rwanda and other hot spots. They didn’t impact Canadian families as directly.
My father spent his final year in a long term care facility with a mission of providing care for veterans, the Kipnes Centre for Veterans in Edmonton. But while veterans were given priority when a bed became available, non-veterans were accommodated as well. The Kipnes Centre is beautifully decorated with military memorabilia and poppies feature prominently in both the historical displays and the décor generally. It features a Wall of Honour where service photos of veteran residents are displayed. I wasn’t happy that my dad’s health had deteriorated to the point that he required long-term care, but I loved the way the Kipnes Centre recognized Canadian history and the service and sacrifice of our veterans.
Across the hall from my dad was the youngest resident of the Kipnes, a middle aged man who had been in a catastrophic motor vehicle collision causing a variety of physical issues as well as an injury to his head. He had served in Afghanistan before the accident—and his photo on the Veterans’ Wall was the only technicolour one among the black and white pictures. The photo wall was incredible; seeing the frail residents in the bloom of their lives, both men and women, was truly inspirational and reminded us of more ways that residents merited our respect and support.
Residents at the Kipnes had a wide range of conditions, but generally ranged from elderly to extremely elderly. My dad enjoyed getting to know Glen, his young neighbour, and Glen enjoyed my dad who was still a lively conversationalist to the extent his weak voice could be heard. When veteran residents of the Kipnes pass away, the gurney bearing their bodies is draped with a Canadian flag, and residents and staff line the halls to honour their fallen comrade. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life, watching my dad’s flag-draped body receiving salutes from everyone able to salute.
My heart went out to Glen, tears streaming down all of our faces, as I realized that he will be making friends with elderly residents and participating in the salute send-off for many years to come. Our younger veterans need our support, too.
Many businesses, including law firms, are open on November 11th with employees “trading” holidays like Remembrance Day for an extra day off between Christmas and New Years. If you are working on Remembrance Day, please consider setting an alarm for 11 am—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month—in honour of the World War I Armistice and observing two minutes of silence. This equates to one-third of a point one, and honouring Canadians who gave their lives for their country are worth it.
And if you are not working, please consider how you can keep our history alive as conflicts escalate in our twenty-first century world. Remember the old axiom that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it? The National Post reported today that younger Canadians are most likely to believe that the holocaust was exaggerated: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/young-canadians-holocaust-skeptics. We need to provide comprehensive education about why Canadians served in world wars, with more than one hundred thousand soldiers not returning home, or their sacrifice was in vain.
The History Channel has an excellent website, which includes podcasts, for anyone wanting to learn more about the two world wars and Veterans Affairs Canada has extensive resources documenting Canada’s role in world conflicts.
As Monday, November 11th is a general holiday (the Employment Standards Act word for what we call statutory holidays), Assist will not be hosting Red Mug Coffee Circles. But since many in our community will be working a five-day week, we will be holding Mindfulness on Tuesday, November 12th and Yoga on Wednesday, November 13th.
Loraine