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.

2010 - Here We Go

The holiday season has officially come to an end and we can now settle into 2010 and the typical winter routines we've grown accustomed to. Unless of course you live in the Southern Hemisphere where the heat of summer is scorching the earth. That's right...I'm thinking of you Tom.

For the rest of us it's time to make the most of the often nasty weather associated with this time of year. I can't complain yet as the winter hasn't been too bad. Sure its been cold but I've only had to use the snow blower once so far. I stress..."so far". Lord knows it won't last.

As far as the holiday season went, it was very laid back. I stuck close to home and was working every day except for a few days off over Christmas. I worked both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day so my celebrating was limited to either being on the job or sleeping.

Of course when time permits, I spend a fair bit of time watching hockey with the annual World Junior Championships taking place and there's always time to support my Habs.

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to devote to my blog. I hate when life gets in the way of having fun. But I will try to add more updates soon. I appreciate those who drop by and keep checking in.

Tomorrow will be a sad day around here as four more Canadian soldiers and a female reporter killed in Afghanistan earlier in the week will be returned to Canada. They'll arrive at the air base here in town around 2pm before traveling along the Highway of Heroes for about 90 minutes to Toronto. I expect large crowds of fellow Canadians to show up along the route despite the cold weather in the forecast to show their respect and to support the families.

I don't normally make any resolutions to start the year because honestly...I never keep them or I just forget about them. One thing I would like to do more of in 2010 is exercise a bit more often. I'm not looking to make huge changes but a bit more activity would be nice to try and shed a few pounds.

And just to prove I really mean it, here's a photo taken of me earlier today doing some push-ups. I believe this photo was taken somewhere around number 93. Honest.



Happy New Year everyone!

Too Many Repatriation's

Two more Canadian soldiers, killed over the weekend in Afghanistan returned home to Canada on Tuesday at a sombre repatriation ceremony in Trenton, Ont.

Sapper Mathieu Allard, 21, and Cpl. Christian Bobbitt, 23, died in a roadside bomb attack in the Zhari district, west of Kandahar, on Saturday.

The plane carrying their flag-draped coffins touched down at CFB Trenton just after 2 p.m. ET Tuesday. Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean and Defence Minister Peter MacKay were among the dignitaries on the tarmac.

My mother had never been to a repatriation even though she lives so close to the base. I couldn't take her down to the base this time as I had her out doing some shopping, so we decided to stop along the Highway of Heroes (Hwy 401 - Canada's busiest) at Brighton to pay our respects and watch as the bodies and families passed by on the way to to Toronto.

The bridge over the highway and every other bridge between Trenton and Toronto was packed with people waving Canadian flags and showing their support. Some people were crying and like the others I've watched in the past, the emotions are always visible.

While I wish our men and women could all come home to Canada and be safe, I understand why they are there and even more so, I know they believe in what they're doing and I support them. I just hope we don't have to watch anymore hearse's make the long journey down the Highway of Heroes.

In this photo you can see my mother with her Canadian flag in hand waiting for the procession to go by.

Heroes Return Home

This afternoon on a cold December day, I joined thousands of my fellow Canadians between Trenton, Ontario and Toronto, as we showed our support and said thank you to the latest three Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan.

The vantage point I chose was in Trenton at the on-ramp to Highway 401 which is also now known as the Highway of Heroes in honour of the fighting men and women who have given their lives in defense of our country.

The mood was somber and friendly. The consensus of those I spoke with was that we hope we'll never have to do this again, but should the need arise, we will be there to show our support.

Here are a few quick photos I took as the procession went by. You can click on the photos to see them larger.

Highway of Heroes Too Busy

It's never the right time to hear about the passing of our Canadian soldiers but it's always harder to learn of this news at this time of year.

Three more Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, bringing the total lost to 103 since the mission began six years ago.

These loses never become any easier and the families of those lost have an even tougher reality to deal with.

Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin and Pte. Justin Peter Jones, based at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, were killed by a roadside bomb (IED) in the morning as they were responding to reports people were planting a suspicious object west of Kandahar city.

I hope to make it down to the local base where the bodies of these men will be flown to for a repatriation ceremony prior to making their way along the Highway of Heroes to Toronto.

I have seen far too many soldiers return home in this fashion but I can only hope that these will be the last to return this way.

I do, however, feel a sense of pride when I see the number of average Canadians who come out to pay their respects to the soldiers and their families at this time of tragedy. Along the entire route from the base in Trenton all the way to Toronto, people line the highway and stand quietly on the bridges to show their respect and to say thank you for giving their lives in defence of their country.

I was recently surprised to see an American television network news program do a story on the Highway of Heroes. This NBC report took place on Veterans Day / Remembrance Day.