Remembrance Day ceremonies carry on with tradition, but some of the surrounding concepts do change, bit by bit.
With every Nov. 11 that comes and goes, we become further removed from the world wars, and we have fewer veterans among us who remember, who witnessed that part of history, and who can tell it and teach us.
There have been other wars and conflicts since and sadly the way of the world ensures there will be others to come. And though modern war is waged differently, some of the reasons for which to fight, the foundational freedoms at stake, those aren’t so different.
That’s one of the reasons Remembrance Day is so important. It would do a disservice to the courageous soldiers of years past to forget the things they fought for, and to relinquish without a fight any of the spoils of war, which is to say peace and freedom.
At the News Bulletin, we published our annual Remembrance Day special section this past Tuesday, Nov. 7, with articles about a local connection to the Dieppe raid, a naval officer in the post-war years, local authors who have written fiction and non-fiction about the war years, and more. For links, see below.
On Saturday, Nov. 11, there will be Remembrance Day ceremonies in Nanaimo and Lantzville, beginning just before 11 a.m. at the Dallas Square cenotaph and Huddlestone Park cenotaph, respectively. We would encourage anyone to attend to see the wreath ceremonies and join veterans and other community members in a moment of silence.
There is a lot to think about, when we think about war and remembrance.
And every Nov. 11, there are fewer memories, perhaps, so we should recognize that and make sure that in spite of that, we find some way to remember.
- REMEMBRANCE DAY: Dieppe declassified