The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Joseph Nichaud's bright, boyish smile widened and his face beamed with a sense of pride never before experienced in his 22 years. Joseph was on top of the world as he gazed into the beaming blue eyes of his newborn Jessica, who had surprised everyone with her advance arrival just a few hours earlier. Even Joseph's reoccurring thought that he might never see his daughter grow up couldn't spoil the miraculous moment. In just three weeks, Joseph would venture from the familiar confines of his Saskatchewan farm into the unknown territory of the Battle of Britain, a key clash of the Second World War. The infamous battle would turn out to be the Germans' first major failure of the war. It would thwart Hitler's plans to force Britain to accept peace or face invasion, and it would give hope to a public praying for the war to end. It would also leave a widow grieving and a freckle-faced little girl named Jessica without a father. Joseph Nichaud is fictitious, but his story is all too familiar to the thousands of Canadian families who have lost loved ones in battle. Each November, Canadians struggle to find a way to truly convey their gratitude to the brave men and women who ventured into horrific battles for this nation's freedom. They don poppies or bow their heads in prayer, but neither action can fully do justice for those courageous souls, far too many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. It's important for all of us to take every opportunity to pay our respects to our veterans, both those who are still with us and those who are not. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 73 is encouraging the public to attend its Remembrance Day Service at the R.H. Channing Auditorium. "It's a recognition for what all the veterans have done for people as a whole," said Legion President Grant Adams. "It's something that we have to pay our respects for." Prior to the service, at around 10:20 a.m., a parade will leave the Legion and march down Hapnot Street and up to the Cenotaph war monument on Hill Street. Those in the parade, including the local army and sea cadets, will be saluted by Comrade Marg Beever, with Comrade Gordon McIntyre and Comrade Burt Graves serving as the guards. Led by Parade Marshall Peter Popp, the parade will make its way to the R.H. Channing Auditorium, at which point the service will begin, likely around 10:50 a.m. At 11 a.m., everyone at the service will join the rest of Canada in pausing for two minutes of silence. Representatives from local businesses and organizations will then lay wreaths at the front of the auditorium in honour of the veterans. Local schools held their own Remembrance Day services on Friday, with a number of Legion members taking part by speaking to the students about the importance of November 11. Meanwhile, management at a number of local businesses have been showing their appreciation by displaying poppies and crosses in their windows.
