Remembrance is a Relevant Word

Sixty-five years have passed since Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day; 92 years since Canadian troops fought alongside the rest of the British Empire for control of Passchendaele. With so much time having gone by, much of our generation feels disconnected from Remembrance Day. Muskets, trenches, foxholes – for our generation, it may all be foreign and impossible to conceptualize as reality, but despite that gap, remembrance should remain as relevant as ever.

However much those old war stories may age, they’re still the ones that have given shape to the whole Canadian identity as we know it now. Canadian troops distinguished themselves with grit and determination at the WWI battle of Vimy Ridge – a reputation that still persists with Canadians abroad. Military participation in UN missions over the last 60 years has given Canadians the “peacekeepers” moniker, a title we all proudly wear on our lapels.

The simple fact is that Canadian military accomplishments, even those that date back 100 years, are integral to the backbone of our identity; it might as well be in our DNA or our fingerprints.

The fact also remains that Canadians didn’t stop serving our country abroad when World War I or World War II ended. Men and women today continue to fight for the safety of others at home and abroad. War, unfortunately, isn’t over and done with. As of September 2009, 131 soldiers and one diplomat have died during Canadian presence in Afghanistan. The game has changed but it’s still being played. And as always, the players seem too young.

Take Private Patrick Lormand, a 21-year-old from Ontario whose vehicle was struck southwest of Kandahar City. He was the 130th Canadian killed in Afghanistan – and only five years older than myself. For him and all the others, that concept of war, so distant to the rest of us, was a day-to-day reality.

For the 64,944 Canadians who fought and died in WWI, muskets, trenches and foxholes – all of those things we today cannot imagine – were real life. It was a similar reality for the 45,300 who fought and died in WWII. As it was for all those who have died in wars that followed, and as it will continue to be for those who still serve Canada today.