Wreaths laid, dead remembered across country
STEVE RENNIE
The Canadian Press
November 11, 2007 at 7:11 PM EST
OTTAWA — Canadians laid wreaths to honour those slain on battlefields and during peacekeeping missions at Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country Sunday, but a thunderous response to a call to show support for soldiers currently serving injected some energy into what is normally a sombre occasion.
A smattering of applause snowballed after Rabbi Reuven Bulka, the honorary chaplain for the Dominion Command, urged thousands gathered at Ottawa's National War Memorial to chant "We love our troops."
Canada's top soldier couldn't contain a broad grin as the crowd applauded the country's men and women in uniform.
When asked later if he'd ever seen such an outpouring of support, Gen. Rick Hillier replied, "Not in this country, that's for sure."
"I think today, in particular, is going to be remembered for that line, which signifies in my view a coming awareness, a growing, increasing and now culminating awareness by Canadians of what their men and women in uniform do in service for them," he said in an interview.
Gen. Hillier, Gov.-Gen. Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined a host of dignitaries and veterans at the ceremonies across the street from the Parliament Buildings.
Both Ms. Jean and Mr. Harper, flanked by their families, laid wreathes before the estimated throng of 30,000 onlookers gathered under sunny skies, which included one woman who held up a small sign with the words "thank you."
Members of the Ottawa Children's Choir, all dressed in red, sang "O Canada."
In his prayer, the military's Chaplain General, Brig.-Gen. Stanley Johnstone, noted Canada has been shaped by the sacrifices Canadians made in battles like Vimy Ridge in the First World War and Dieppe and Normandy in the Second World War.
"May the memory be forever strong of those who preceded us in wars past and may their own courage and readiness of spirit to secure our future and our world for a greater hope be also known and taught among us," Gen. Johnstone told a hushed audience.
In the footstep of those who gave their lives in wars past, sacrifices are still necessary today in places like Afghanistan in order to preserve peace and protect our way of life, Gen. Johnstone added.
"We are paying our own debt for the future of our children with bravery and determination that befits the duty, but never with exaltation," he said.
Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, spoke of those sacrifices in an interview with The Canadian Press. Mr. Samad, who laid a wreath bearing his country's name at the base of the monument, said Canadian troops are part of a "very noble cause" in Afghanistan.
The 71 members of the Canadian Forces and one diplomat who have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002 won't soon be forgotten by Afghans who know all too well the price of war, Mr. Samad said.
"Afghanistan is a country that has suffered tremendously over the last 25 years. We have lost more than a million people as part of conflict," he said.
"We have a very destroyed nation where millions of others had to flee their homes, many of whom have now returned and come back because they see there's hope for Afghanistan and there's a future for Afghanistan."
Two opposition leaders on hand were careful not to wade too deep Sunday into what that future may hold for Canada's military.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and New Democrat Leader Jack Layton said they attended the ceremony to honour Canada's veterans, and while their views of the mission differ from the Prime Minister's, they're appreciative of the troops' efforts.
"We support our troops, we love our troops .... we have different views about how it should be managed, what should be the deadline to say that the combat mission is over. We have different views, but we are all Canadians today and we all love our troops," Mr. Dion said.
"They face a lot of difficult times, and they're willing to sacrifice for us. Our job is to make sure we decide what we ask them to do very, very carefully," added Layton.
Master Cpl. Paul Franklin, who lost both his legs to a suicide bomber's attack in January, 2006 that killed Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry and seriously injured two others in the armoured vehicle they were travelling in, also attended the ceremony.
It differed from past Remembrance Day ceremonies he'd attended, he said, "mainly because more of my friends are dead."
A slew of 'what ifs' went through his head during the ceremony, he said.
"What if it was me, what if I was gone and they were in my position, what if I was okay and they were injured? It's a difficult thought process."
Meanwhile, similar ceremonies were held in cities across Canada.
In Halifax, hundreds of observers, including Premier Rodney MacDonald and New Democrat MP Alexa McDonough, huddled near the downtown cenotaph as temperatures dipped below zero.
Charlotte Smith, whose son Pte. Nathan Lloyd Smith was killed during a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2002, was greeted by applause as she laid a wreath on behalf of all Silver Cross mothers.
Allan Tanner, a veteran of the Norwegian merchant navy, said he was touched by the outpouring of support during the ceremony.
"It seems that people, and the young people, are starting to understand," said Mr. Tanner, 82, who kept warm under a blanket. "It makes you feel good."
In Saint John, N.B., that honour went to Laurie Greenslade, whose son, David, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday. She has been outspoken in her support for Canada's troops.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay told hundreds of people attending a rally Saturday in Shelburne, N.S., that Canadians are making a difference in the lives of Afghans.
"It is a great privilege for me to mark this Remembrance Day as the Minister of National Defence. It is an honour to be associated with the Canadian Forces, its history and traditions," Mr. MacKay said in a news release.
In Quebec City, Premier Jean Charest spoke to a crowd at the cenotaph. Most of the soldiers in Canada's current contingent in Afghanistan are based at nearby Valcartier.
Mr. Charest said despite the "difficulties and risks" of the Afghan mission Quebeckers have a duty to support their soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.
Mr. Charest met with family members of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, who died in a roadside bombing. Mr. Charest urged Quebeckers to take every opportunity to let the family know "that Quebeckers are thinking of them."
In Toronto, hundreds of dignitaries, war veterans, military personnel, cadets and observers gathered before the Ontario Veterans' Memorial outside the provincial legislature Sunday to mark the occasion.
The traditional service included a moment of silence, a 21-gun salute, the reading of "In Flanders' Fields" and the laying of wreaths.
Canadians have a "duty" to support the families of those men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan, said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"Today, on the other side of our world, Canadians are again fighting for those same principles, for the cause of freedom, to bring hope to a land torn apart by decades of warfare. Our soldiers are serving their country, they're doing their duty. Sometimes paying the ultimate price," he said.
In Vancouver and Edmonton, ceremonies were held at a number of venues.
There were ceremonies at Calgary's HMCS Tecumseh — a unit of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve properly referred to as a ship — and the city's military museums, along with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Central Memorial Park cenotaph.
Members of 38 Canadian Brigade group, some of whom are deploying to Afghanistan next year, were on parade at two armouries in Winnipeg. A larger ceremony was also held at Winnipeg's convention centre.
In Afghanistan on Sunday, the families of five Canadian soldiers killed in action took part in a Remembrance Day ceremony at Kandahar Air Field.
The families placed fresh green wreaths, with the word "Canada" and bright red poppies, beside their names on the cenotaph inside the Canadian compound.
