On this day, on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year at about 11 a.m., the cenotaph in Ladner's Memorial Park will be the centre of a Remembrance Day ceremony.
So what? Who of us has lost a family member to war? Who has a picture of "Johnny" dressed in uniform ready to go off to fight for us? Believe it or not, some do - including my niece in Ladner whose son is serving in the Royal Canadian Navy right now off the Libyan coast.
My wife's ancestors come from what is now eastern Saskatchewan, home of the South Saskatchewan Regiment. This unit fought in the First World War as 95th Saskatchewan Rifles. It was a bloody war where over 90 per cent of those men in the regiment were killed or wounded in battle. Formed again for the Second World War, they fought in many battles, including Dieppe, where Lt. Col. Merritt, later of Vancouver, received a Victoria Cross for extreme bravery.
It's so easy for us to forget that three million of our fellow countrymen and women fought decades ago for the freedom we now take for granted. Canadian efforts in the First World War were immense: 620,000 mobilized, 67,000 killed and 173,000 wounded, all from a population of about eight million people.
The Second World War was a similar experience: Over 40 per cent of the 2.5 million eligible Canadian men between 18 and 45 served in the navy, army and air force. In B.C., over half of all eligible men were in uniform!
These numbers, when you look around you and imagine every second male to have been taken away for battle, sharpens the mind on the sacrifices that were made.
More recent battles in Korea, Eastern Europe and in Afghanistan have resulted in current neighbours and citizens in Delta who "can remember." Some 55,000 Canadians have served in Afghanistan, where 158 gave their lives so that others might have a chance for the freedom we take for granted.
In a recent interview, a survivor said we need to care for those who are left behind, not those who were killed. We also now know about a hidden sacrifice - thousands of veterans who are now living with what we call post traumatic stress disorder.
I spent part of my life in uniform during the period between the Korean conflict and the Bosnian uprising, all during the Pearson "UN peacekeeper period." While the FLQ was active in part of Canada, we were at peace in the world and my postings were in Canada. Nonetheless, my recollections of "war stories" told by others are vivid, of sacrifices many made so we can go about our life not worrying about our freedom.
So, "remember to remember" on Remembrance Day. Do not take all of this for granted. Blood has been spilled by hundreds of thousands of Canadians to let you have all this freedom!
ID Robertson, Capt., RCE (Ret'd)
