A day of tears, smiles, and stories -- Remembrance Day 2020 and 75 years since WWII ended and 70 years since end of Korean conflict. We marked the day in a different way this year wit far fewer people at the national war memorial and elbow bumps instead of hand shakes and all dignitaries carefully distanced.. Fewer veterans were invited due to their high risk with Ontario areas having huge numbers of new cases daily in the second wave of the pandemic.
I've been to ceremonies in areas where I have lived and usually watched the national ceremonies from Ottawa. Once I participated in the national ceremonies in Ottawa followed by a visit to the National War Museum. While downtown the artillery gun salute continued throughout the ceremonies.. I've visited the books of remembrance when in the Peace Tower and now while temporarily housed in an area close to the temporary home to the House of Commons. These are very moving and the pages are turned each day so different names are visible in the glass cases.
During the national ceremonies today, the chaplain noted that COVID isolation can give us an understanding of being separated from loved ones. We didn't choose this, but many people had chosen to leave families to join armed service -- often to be separated for years and in the midst of increased peril. Many indigenous veterans chose to join armed services when they were not yet citizens but wards of the state -- an amazing commitment.
I tend to spend this day thinking of the situations that many people I've known had found themselves -- the mud and freezing temperatures in the trenches in France; ambushes on the roads of France in WWII[ in the north Atlantic during the long Battle of the Atlantic; in the fields of Korea; boarding ships in the Gulf during the Iraq war; In the Gulf during the in Cyprus and Egypt on peace keeping missions; domestic service in Canada including the recent Operation Laser in the midst of the pandemic. So many family members and friends have served in the regular and reserve forces. For this reason the stories of those I know and the many I never met are a focus on this day. The song shared today was written to commemorate the Battle of Beaumont-Hamil in WWI, where most of the Newfoundland Regiment was killed or injured over the brief melee. This day changed the direction of Newfoundland forever, eventually leading to their joining the Dominion of Canada in 1949. The song shared here is sung by Newfoundlanders. Stay safe. Enjoy!
Sing You Home -- Ennis Sisters
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