On Thursday many Canadians will stop to remember. At the 11th hour, on the eleventh day of the 11th month (the end of World War I in 1918) people will pause from their daily lives and think about those who have served in Canada’s military and particularly those who lost their lives in that service.
For many there will be a personal connection. A son or daughter who is serving today. Perhaps a family member who served in the past. Others will not have the same personal connection but will be grateful none-the-less for the incredible country we live in and the role that those in the service have played in making it one of the great nations of the world.
It can be difficult for those of us who have grown up and lived in Canada all of our lives to truly grasp what a blessed country we live in. While the Internet and television have made the world smaller, the atrocities that we often see in real-time from around the world still feel like places far removed from our own day to day experiences.
One of the benefits of the immigration we have to Canada is the world literally comes to us and we can learn from new Canadians how fortunate we are to enjoy the freedoms we have. It helps us better appreciate the freedoms our men and women have often gone overseas to serve for. Many countries struggle daily with basic issues of democracy and safety. Few have experienced the sustained peace and prosperity that Canada has enjoyed.
The men and women who serve in our armed forces, perhaps better than anyone, know how fortunate we are. Undoubtedly, that knowledge is part of the strength they draw upon to do the work that they do; the desire to help others in the world achieve the freedom, peace and security we enjoy.
The conflicts that Canada has been engaged in over the years are often the subject of debate. That debate is appropriate in a free and democratic country. It is that very freedom that people have served and died for.
But there should be unity on the issue of supporting those who have answered the call to service. As a nation we remember, together, men and women who have given so much for people they have never met and will never know. Their personal sacrifice should not be the subject of debate.
On Remembrance Day we take the time to be thankful for the country we have been blessed with and we take the time to remember the men and women who have offered their own lives in the cause of peace, freedom and security. Lest we forget.
