A wreath of poppies. (Lauren Turner/Flickr under CC BY 2.0)
As there was no issue of The Quill immediately prior to Remembrance Day, we did not feature the holiday as we normally do. However, we could not justify moving past without acknowledging it.
Each year on November 11th, Canadians pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of conflict, and peace. More than 2.3 million Canadians have served our country in this way, and more than 118,000 have died. They gave their lives and their futures in the hope that we, the civilian population, might live in peace.
By remembering their service and their sacrifice, we acknowledge the tradition of freedom these men and women fought to preserve. They believed that their actions in their present would build a significant difference for the future. It is up to us to make sure that their dream of peace is realized.
Poppies are the symbols worn as a reminder of the blood-red flowers that still grow on the former battlefields of France and Belgium. Reading through the information on the government webpage, www.veterans.gc.ca, we can learn more about the men and women who fought and sacrificed for Canada.
We have the opportunity to remember the efforts of these special Canadians. In remembering, we pay homage to those who respond to their country’s needs.
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.
-Lt. Cpl. John McCrae