Canadians no longer remember

[paracowboy]

As far as the youth of today goes, just want to say hats off to all of our Cadets out there, as they are the ones, who stand happily as a symbol of hope for the future, with out being paid and out of pride alone!

I'll drink to that.
Well, I would if I weren't BOS.

 

[jackdolly]

I remember,my great uncle,Frank Dolhenty having given his life in 1915 in France;Private ,with queen's Own Rifles,buried in Vimy Memorial,Pas de Calais,France.Any other info on the list who died there,at that time?Any Photos?Sincerely,Jack Dolhanty,<jwdol@hotmail.com>

 

[Recce41]

It doesn't really matter if there are hundards out. If even one person stood, layed a wreath, and took a minute to reflect. It would be Rememberance Day. My GGF was in the Boar War, GF in WW1 and Father/ F in L in WW2, I will always remember and thats all that matters to me.
What pisses me off, was that I got home and a few SOLDIERS here in Gagetown, don't even go. They were told they didn't have to?

 

[Edward Campbell]

There are several thousand military personnel here in Ottawa, I think - the various HQ buildings sure appear crowded.

Many dozen (a few hundred?) must be on duty 24/7, even when the HQ is on Sunday routine: some duty officers/NCOs in e.g. the NDOC/NDIC, some MPs, quite a few signalers - some medics, too, I guess.  Some just got off duty at 06:00 and, quite rightly, went home to sleep.

Dozens more (a few hundred, too?) are away on course.  Some are excused duty, and so on.

A few more hundred were on parade, yesterday - all over the national capital region, not just downtown at the national service.  About half, it appeared to me, were reservists.  I saw many - maybe more than a couple of hundred - spectating in the crowd of 25,000+/-; a few hundred more were, almost certainly, at other, suburban, services, at schools and so on.

So let me tally up: a few hundred on duty + a couple hundred more just off duty, excused, away, etc + a few hundred on parade + a few hundred spectators = what? a thousand? a couple of thousand?  Where were the rest?  There are hundreds of Gens, Cols, LCols and Majs (and Navy equivalents) in Ottawa, a few tens had 'official' duties on Friday.  Where were the rest of these leaders?  How can I ask, "where were all the corporals and privates?" when the 'leaders' took a shopping day?

</rant>

 

[armyvern]

What pisses me off, was that I got home and a few SOLDIERS here in Gagetown, don't even go. They were told they didn't have to?

Wow!! 3ASG pers is a must attend here at Gagetown. Even our excused drill pers etc have to report in to a Sgt at the Oromocto Cenotaph, have roll call taken, and then form up on the sidewalk behind the marching contingent.
What's even more disgusting with the scenario you state, is that some of the pers that were told this probably didn't bother to show up, which doesn't say much for their professionalism or dedication in my books either, never mind that of the idiot who told them it was an 'optional' Parade for a serving member.

As a side note, don't expect the Oromocto Cenotaph to have a Parade with the roughly 4000 pers posted to this location, never mind all the students here on course. We farm out contingents to parade at Cenotaphs all over the Province, as well as hold services at each of the Cemetaries located within the training area (and there an awful lot of them). This can be witnessed by school busses leaving this location filled with soldiers beginning approx 0500hrs any Nov 11th, and the J7 parking lot being wall to wall busses to transport personnel to closer parades at 0830hrs Nov 11th.

 

[Jungle]

rest?   There are hundreds of Gens, Cols, LCols and Majs (and Navy equivalents) in Ottawa, a few tens had 'official' duties on Friday.   Where were the rest of these leaders?   How can I ask, "where were all the corporals and privates?" when the 'leaders' took a shopping day?

These are the people who are in the Military because it's job... OR the senior Officers mentionned above live a permanent power trip. As a Col or Gen Officer, if they have not been invited to preside over a ceremony and "be the center of attention", they would rather not go at all.
If some (senior) members of the Armed Forces start to ignore Remembrance Day, especially with the year of the Veteran and the operational losses of recent years, we are in a lot of trouble...

Je Me Souviens

 

[Recce41]

Yes just a job? I was out in St John (Lancaster), I perfer to go and prade at some little town, than in a city. I find it is more personal. Even if I was told to do what ever, I would still go.

 

[Old Sweat]

To add to Edward's comment re NDHQ personnel, I live in a small town about 45 kms south of Ottawa as the car drives. At our Remembrance Day service there were about 20-30 CF members in uniform in the crowd, including at least one colonel. We were also fortunate to have CF representation in the form of maintenance platoon from 3 RCR, but that is another story. These young soldiers looked fit and were very well turned-out.

I guess what I am saying is that a good number of the CF members residing in the area took their responsibilties seriously and showed up for the parade. The master of ceremonies remarked to me just a couple of hours ago that the several members of the clergy who participated all told him how impressed they were by the sense of reverence they felt in the crowd and especially amongst the students, especially when our local Hong Kong veteran laid a wreath on behalf of his association. At least in this corner of small town Canada, we still remember.

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I think OS has found the answer to the "Ottawa" issue.  If it works anything like here in Edmonton, personnel not assigned to a specific cenotaph are to go to a ceremony of their choice.  This results in military personnel appearing at all sorts of local places - St Albert is typically jammed with soldiers and officers who aren't appearing at the "official" function downtown.  Moreover, units are assigned to small communities all over northern Alberta - sometimes in very small numbers.  Things aren't always as bad as they seem; to my mind, I'd have to be near death to not make a ceremony - and most others I know feel the same.

 

[Gayson]

It's hard to say about this one.

I would say that support has been going down in the GTA, but I saw TONS of people at the remeberance parade the weekend before.  My College had a ceremony on friday to my surprise with a large turnout aswell.

There was one guy who put his hand up when the speaker asked if anyone in the audience had been to war.  When I approached him and asked him what regiment / service he was in he told me that he used to be a cadet.   

I really have a hard time telling whether support for rememberance day is going up or down.

 

[Marty]

Im not sure about the GTA ,I did however see about 20 to 25 people in Tide Head NB waiting to wave and say hello to a train load of Vets going to the National Service in Ottawa. All in all Id say people are "remembering "more than ever, at least here in the sticks. The last time I saw that many people around the R/R crossing a car had been hit by the train .

 

[sheikyerbouti]

The New West ceremony was packed, Burnaby also had a great turnout regardless of the crap weather and every ANAF and RCL branch my band toured yesterday was packed.

There is no shortage of spectators or participants, just the willingness of the press to portray it as such.

BTW Kudos to all service members who did the rounds of the branches and units as they were well thought of and highly regarded.

 

[Marty]

Actuall the press that I listened to reported that in most places there were more people "out" that most could remember .

 

[Old Sweat]

On reflection I think that people are beginning to understand that we are at war again. At our service prayers were offered for our troops in Afghanistan and for those who would go in harm's way in the future.

 

[axeman]

well i didnt go through wwII or Korea , but i have been shelled shot at and had to do a funeral in a war zone. i didnt know in 87 when i joined the reserves that I would end up where i am now. Remember that WWI was first known as the Great war , then The War To End Wars. then soon WWI as WW II came along ,eventully Korea. Slowly there came the DOMINO EFFECT in South East Asia . also the bush wars in Africa and the "Banana Republics Troubles." soon after the big names faded away , but there was still the wars going on . eventully they faded out then Grenada , and Panama.
HOOWAH for the USA . The Soviet empire started down its slope with Afghanistan , now they are broken up as well as yugoslavia which has caused Canada losses in battle , but as WAR wasnt declared they first were not entitled to status as veterans. now its quiet there but Afghanistan has raised its head again and so has iraq. there will alway be war as well as veterans , there unfortunatly will not be a loss of this status, veteran or war. the stories may not be of VIMY RIDGE as it was when i was in school [i was fortunate to have a teacher of history the went over the top there, to learn but not absorb his lessons till much later sorry Mr.Phillips. ] there are 10 WWI veterans alive today . but the stories will be told of marching to berlin for a while . then korea will fade , then as im already seeing FYR is fading already . i looked in the ranks a few years ago , once almost everyone had a UNPROFOR medal now they are few and rare, somolia same thing . now we have issued a new medal for Afghanistan and soon the SWASM will fade in time . the way that we rcord our history hasnt really changed we have added to it with motion pictures and colour . but it still comes down to some one sitting down and talking to some one else . a friend of mines wife like to break out a notepad and pen when i come by, so she can write down stories as they roll out of 2 veterans as they sit back and recall times not so long ago .after all as baz luhrmann said

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it's worth.

well its not advice we are dispensing but an oral history. with my passing we will lose 1/9 of the story of the moring we were wolken up by the serbs, as well as 1/9 the part of the great bean war of 94 on OP Kilo Foxtrot. when i go it will be one less to say in 02 on the airfield in Khandahar Afghanistan i watched 4 guys i knew loaded up into a plane to be taken back to Canada. it seems a shame to all of a sudden to realize that you are mortal but if some goes , "hey in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan Canada played a part . Cindy didnt your uncle Jim do something there?" it can be done with many ppl now but in 60 years it wont be first hand stories any more it will be a few but mostly just words on paper /electrons . already we are losing ppl from 02. aggghhhhh im getting all silly on this day of days when swords were beaten into plow shears but anyway thats my 2 cents