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.
Residents bowed their heads in silence yesterday morning to remember the brave Canadians who sacrificed their lives for their country. At the Remembrance Day Service organized by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 73, a packed R.H. Channing Auditorium joined the nation in honouring Canada's fallen soldiers. "We pause to remember those that gave their lives," said Salvation Army Capt. John Kirschman in a stirring address. This year is of special significance, he said, because it marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the end of the Second World War. "We think of the terrible things that happened on that day and the many people who lost their lives," he said. The audience represented a full spectrum of people. Infants still in strollers were present, as were elderly people who still remember the helplessness of staying home while loved ones ventured off into the Second World War and the Korean War. Some men who experienced the battle trenches firsthand were there to pay homage to their fellow veterans who weren't fortunate enough to come home. As he led a heartfelt prayer, Cpt. Kirschman spoke of how fortunate Canada is because "in other parts of the world, Father, there is no peace." "Be happy you're a Canadian, but take the time to recognize the awful price that was paid for your freedom," he told the crowd. "Make sure you say thank you to a veteran if you see a veteran today." At precisely 11 o'clock, the packed auditorium fell quiet as the crowd bowed their heads for the two minutes of silence observed across Canada. The crowd remained silent as representatives from some 50 organizations and businesses were called upon to lay wreathes at the back of the auditorium stage, where a wooden replica of the Cenotaph war monument stood. Among those laying wreathes were Flin Flon MLA Gerard Jennissen, Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler, Denare Beach Mayor Carl Lentowicz and Flin Flon City Coun. Tom Therien. By the time it was over, the entire base of the display was covered in green, a touching memorial to the fallen veterans. Preceding the service was a parade from the Legion to the auditorium led by a handful of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, dressed in their traditional regalia, and the Legion Colour Party. Local army, sea and navy league cadets also marched, as did the scouts and girl guides. The Remembrance Day Service and parade were among the ways that area residents have honoured Canada's veterans this week. The schools hosted memorial services on Wednesday, and several business owners displayed poppies and crosses in their stores. Meanwhile in Ottawa, the mother of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan was the first to place a wreath at yesterday's National War Memorial. This served as a reminder that war is not just a distant memory and that although the numbers aren't as high as they were decades ago, Canadians continue to die in battle. More than 110,000 Canadians have perished in the two world wars, Korea and other campaigns. * * * In Flanders Fields By John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields
