DEAR EDITOR:
Annually my husband Ken and I attend the West Vancouver Remembrance Day ceremony. Both of us have family members that have served in the Canadian Armed forces. My father, Ken Brown, served in the Canadian Navy and went on to a career in policing. My husband's uncle, Wing Commander John Scott Williams of Vancouver, was commissioned by King George V in 1916 to establish the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The Remembrance Day ceremonies in West Vancouver give us and our fellow Canadians an opportunity to honour veterans and our forces' members serving today in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.
Being a mom, this year I am especially pleased to honor my son, Kris Neacsu, who grew up in West Vancouver and is presently a soldier deployed in Afghanistan.
Kris is a gunner on a LAV (light armoured vehicle). Not many are aware that we have a young man from our community who is presently on a mission in Afghanistan. His tour ends in two weeks and when he is back on safe soils, I will finally stop counting the days before his return and after five months, I will not hesitate to answer a knock on our door.
Kris, who attended West Bay elementary, Rockridge middle school and West Vancouver secondary, is a corporal in the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry First Battalion based in Edmonton, Alta.
The Princess Pats have played an active and aggressive role in the marginalization of the Taliban and securing the province of Kandahar for the population.
Kris has chosen the military as a career path and we are extremely proud of him.
We recognize it is important to understand that generations of veterans have served our country and have made sacrifices and contributions that ensure we live in a free and peaceful country.
Once we understand this, we can understand the importance of thanking them and remembering their contributions.
I thank our son and other mothers' sons who have chosen this path.
Debbie Williams West Vancouver
