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Remembrance Day : Lest We Forget

By Stephanie Ciccarelli

November 10, 2007

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Barrie, ON Cenotaph What does Remembrance Day mean to you?

Discover a couple of stories that will warm your heart and remind of you what Remembrance Day is all about.

I also look forward to hearing your stories, so let the sharing begin!

Commemoration

The immortal poem "In Flanders Fields" by a Canadian, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a doctor and teacher, who served in both the South African War and the First World War, echo through the years and even today as we are blessed with another November 11th to commemorate those who fought for the freedom we now enjoy.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

The Boys from Barrie

Earlier this week, CBC Ontario Morning host Wei Chen had a wonderful guest on her program, Clint Lovell, head of the History Department at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie, ON whose class had worked on a special project wherein each student profiled one soldier from Barrie who was killed in the Second World War, numbering 60 soldiers in total.

"The Boys from Barrie" project is a collection of those profiles and is hosted on the Veterans Affairs Canada website. The picture accompanying this article is of the local cenotaph in Barrie, Ontario Canada as depicted on the VAC website.

We have so much to be grateful for and we honour those who answered the call, and continue to answer the call, to ensure precious freedom for all.

I have a few uncles that fought in the Great War and World War II, and have been told stories about two of them who never returned. How very poignant those stories are to hear. There is a family historian on my father's side who has cataloged one such story, including telegrams from my late Great Uncle John (also called Jack), a telegraphist, with scanned newspaper clippings about the fateful day he was stationed on the HMCS Valleyfield when the ship was torpedoed by a German u-boat off the coast of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean on May 6th, 1944.

While those wars are now memories filtered through the hourglass of time, there are still wars raging in the Middle East, Africa, and turmoil in other countries. The words "Never Again" ought to apply to everyone but it is painfully clear that there is still work to be done in the hearts of those who oppress and seek nothing else but the obliteration of people and hold not dear the sanctity of human life at all stages.

AFN : Giving Hope to Soldiers in Iraq

Something I'd like to draw attention to is the very active efforts being made by a group of broadcasters I have recently become acquainted with through voice talent Charlie Glaize.

Combat Correspondent, Chris Eder, part of the AFN team (American Forces Network), blogged this past week about the generosity of several voice actors who donated their time and talent to provide the radio station with free liners, sweepers, and bumpers to help nourish the spirits of the troops stationed in Iraq with friendly voices from home via Freedom Radio. It truly means the world to them.