It’s time to remember once again.
This Monday, Nov. 11, Canadians across the country will be stopping to recognize a moment of silence at 11:11 a.m.
Remembrance Day and the traditional moment of silence at 11:11 a.m. exist as a way to, as the name implies, remember.
In particular, we remember those Canadians who served in the First and Second World Wars.
It is important to remember Canada’s wartime contributions since these, the most famous of wars, as well.
Canada has also had roles in the Korean War, Gulf War and numerous peacekeeping missions since then. Most recently, Canadian soldiers should be remembered for their involvement with the war in Afghanistan.
There is also a tendency to focus on remembering those who died while serving in these wars. Certainly, these individuals deserve to be recognized for giving the ultimate sacrifice to their country, laying down their lives fighting for the freedom of their fellow countrymen.
But, we must not forget those who survived those wars either.
Canada’s veterans embody a living remembrance of our country’s involvement with global conflicts.
It was they who formed the Legion in 1926, a nation-wide organization consisting mostly of veterans with the primary goal of simply remembering.
‘Memoriam Eorum Retinebimus’, We Will Remember Them, is the motto of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Together with the Ladies Auxiliary, the Royal Canadian Legion has made it the responsibility of its members to preserve Canada’s wartime history.
Thus, the Legion and Ladies Auxiliary members are all custodians of Canada’s wartime history.
For 87 years, these veterans have kept the memory of Canada’s wartime contributions, and the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, alive through their work and contributions in the community.
November is easily the most important month for any Legion member.
It is this time of year that we see a heightened Legion presence in communities across the country. We see members handing out poppies, visiting schools and of course, participating in Remembrance Day services. However, we often overlook the Legion during the rest of the year.
As such, it is easy not to notice that Legion and Auxiliary branches across the country are struggling, including Lacombe’s.
Nobody lives forever, and a lot of Canada’s veterans, the ones who spearheaded spreading the Legion’s message more than eight decades ago, are not around any longer. The membership of these organizations is literally dying out.
We cannot afford to forget what the Legion works so hard to keep us remembering. Canada’s Legion branches are a part of that history too and what would happen to that history if the Legion did not exist does not bear thinking about.
Royal Canadian Legion Lacombe Branch No. 79 will hold their Remembrance Day ceremony at the Lacombe Memorial Centre beginning at 11 a.m.
Also, the churches of Blackfalds have banded together to organize Blackfalds’ first annual Remembrance Day service. It will be held at the Community Hall, 4810 – Womacks Road, on Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m.