Holiday of Remembrance

Tomorrow is November 11th which of course is Remembrance Day in Canada. I believe they call it Veteran’s Day in the U.S.

It’s a day where all citizens should take some time to reflect, remember and thank those soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of their country and freedom.

Lately there has been talk of making the day a national holiday or statutory holiday to allow more people to attend services and to reflect on the meaning of the day.

Nobody loves having a day off or working a holiday for double time and half more than me but you can put me in the category of those who think this is a bad idea.

Holidays are great but most are meant to provide an opportunity for families to be together on special occasions. Christmas, Easter, Family Day, Thanksgiving and Canada Day are the one’s that come to mind. OK, Canada Day is more about celebrating the country’s birthday than being with family but the two usually go hand in hand.

Remembrance Day wouldn’t be about family, it would be about, well, remembering the brave men and women who fought in past wars and sacrificed their lives as it always has been. I honestly don’t think the majority of people would use the day for its intended purpose. Instead they would most likely sleep in and not even care about the day or taking the time to remember with a moment of silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.

Of course the banks and government offices are closed already on Remembrance Day but they don’t count. They close on more days than anyone else. Heck, I think they’re closed on Groundhog Day.

I don’t think anything positive is gained by making Remembrance Day a holiday. School children can still be taken on a “field trip” to the local cenotaph or monument for the community ceremonies and I think that would continue to be a greater benefit and very educational.

When I was in public school, once Halloween was over, for the next eleven days we spent a lot of time talking about and studying about Remembrance Day, poppies and the meaning and purpose of it all. It is easily the reason why to this day some 30 plus years later I still appreciate the importance of it. We had to memorize the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields” written by Canadian WW1 physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. No kids, it isn’t a story about Homer Simpson’s religious next-door neighbour. Google it if you don’t know what it is and then kick your own ass for being so uneducated.

I heard that the local high school is planning a video conference call tomorrow with soldiers currently serving and fighting in Afghanistan. What a great idea and a perfect way to clearly illustrate what our men and women in uniform are doing right now while risking their lives.

There is no need to make this a holiday, especially if it comes at the expense of losing the existing Family Day holiday in February. If you’re going to make it a holiday then you should keep Family Day as well.

Any employer who won’t let their employees attend a local service should they choose to do so needs to be berated and made an example of. I think a couple of hours of lost time is a small sacrifice once a year compared to the thousands of lives Canadians have lost since WW1 all in an effort to ensure that our freedom and way of life continues. If you don’t agree than perhaps you should move your company to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Keep Remembrance Day as it is. I attended the local services the last two years but tomorrow I will be at work and unable to be there in person. But I will be remembering and taking my moment of silence at 11 o’clock. I have already set the alarm on my mobile phone to remind me just in case I forget. I don’t want to forget, and neither should you.