For more than a century, Canadians have used Nov. 11 to remember those who served and sacrificed so that we could live safe and free. It is a tradition we are deeply proud of.
The Royal Canadian Legion, its many branches, and other groups like the North Shore Veterans Council now carry the torch, ensuring that those memories are held and passed on.
Wearing the poppy and attending a solemn Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph are our ways of demonstrating we will keep our end of that promise.
You will find in this edition and on nsnews.com this week numerous stories about veterans, some still with us, some resting in cemeteries near battlefields half a world away.
Remembrance is not just a civic duty but also, we would argue, a means to lasting peace. In 1919 and again in 1945, our veterans came home from two wars, both so massive in scope and misery that they insisted we never return to such slaughter again.
Other conflicts have followed, and we continue to etch names into cenotaphs. We weep for the places in the world today where the leaders have forgotten the message completely.
This Remembrance Day, if you cannot brave a little damp weather to attend your community’s service, we urge you to dig a little deeper and support your local legion’s poppy campaign or veterans’ group.
It is an investment that pays dividends in peace. And lasting peace is the greatest possible tribute we can think to offer Canada’s veterans, past and present.
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