Remembrance Day ceremonies around the Westlock area were better-attended than usual this year, something Westlock Legion president Jim Klassen attributes to recent events.
In the past year there have been some major high-profile tragedies befalling Canadians in uniform. Three RCMP officers were killed and two were wounded in Moncton, N.B., in June, and more recently two uniformed soldiers were murdered in Quebec and Ottawa.
While there were 750 chairs put out in the Westlock & District Community Hall last year, this year they started with 800, put out more, and still had several dozen people standing in the back.
Klassen began the Westlock ceremony by thanking everyone for attending, and emphasizing the importance of Remembrance Day in light of recent events.
“This Remembrance Day is especially poignant for me, with the terrorists bringing this conflict to our home land,” he said.
The ceremony itself was typical of Remembrance Day ceremonies in the area, with one notable exception.
Right at the beginning of the ceremony, Klassen presented Second World War veteran Ernie Wood with a medal granting him the rank of Chevalier (Knight) within the French Legion of Honour — one of the highest honours that France can bestow — which is comparable to being knighted or inducted into the Order of Canada.
“I’d like to thank the Legion and all those who worked to get this medal for me,” Wood said. “I sure appreciate it.”
Rev. Peter Yeung from the Anglican Church made a brief speech about the significance of what veterans have done, making reference to a trip a group of teenagers made to Europe on the 50th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in 1944.
While they behaved with the exuberance one expects from teenagers for most of the trip, a visit to the Canadian cemetery changed the tone as this group of 14-19 year olds began to see the ages of Canadian soldiers on the gravestones.
“As these young people walked between the rows of graves, they began to pause,” he said.
They noticed ages like 21, 19, and even 16, Yeung said, and one student summed up the experience for the group.
“They were our age; some were even younger. It sure was different for them,” he said. “It sure was different for them.”
The deaths of two Canadian soldiers in Ottawa and Quebec was recognized at this year’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Clyde Hall, which was attended by 100 people.
The program included a picture of wreath that was laid in Vimy, France two weeks ago in recognition of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed in a targeted hit and run, and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was shot while standing on guard at the National War Memorial.
Master of ceremonies Isaac Brower-Berkhoven said the picture was taken by his sister-in-law and was printed off in time for the ceremony.
In her message of hope, Rev. Lilley Glebe said she was glad to see so many people at the ceremony to pay tribute to all those who have served in the past and those who still serve today.
“Sometimes the magnitude of their sacrifice gets lost. It gets lost in portrayals that we see in Hollywood movies about heroics,” she said.
“But war is not glamourous. War is difficult. War is death. War brings ruin to lives and to creation.”
Glebe said Canadians often do not see the ravages of war as other countries that have experienced it, or the missing generation of youth who died in the wars of the past.
“The men and women who gave their lives still cry out to us today. Remember us remember our sacrifice, remember what the cost of war really is.”
Glebe recalled her reaction to the attacks in Ottawa and Quebec on Canadian soldiers. After the initial shock, her feelings turned into frustration, anger and “perhaps a desire to have a bit of revenge.”
“But you know, those things only lead to more war,” she said. “If we allow our anger and our fear and our revenge to take away freedoms ... then we are losing the war.
“Be vigilant. Be observant. Do not give away those values and those freedoms that these people sacrificed their lives for.”
Pastor Chris Lantz quoted the Gospel of John, which repeats Jesus’ teachings there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your brothers.
“For those who are doing that right now, not just for their neighbours in their country but their neighbours in other countries, I think it’s good to gather and remember and celebrate,” said Lantz.
Lantz led the gathering in a prayer to God for Canadians to face fear with hope and hate with peace “in a time of attacks on our country.”
He added, “I thank you (God) for those who serve our country and have served our country. I thank you for their willingness to risk their lives in our place, to defend us and to defend the good values —your values — that our country represents.”
A laying of wreaths was conducted inside the hall due to the cold weather, but two wreaths were placed outside at the Clyde Cenotaph in remembrance of the village’s fallen soldiers from the First and Second World Wars.
