“Lest we forget.” It’s a phrase we hear many times at this time of year. It’s an important message as we stop on Nov. 11 to remember all of those who served and died in the performance of that service for this country.
There are no longer any veterans of the First World War alive anywhere in the world. The veterans of the Second World War are in their 80s and 90s, and their number is declining with each passing year.
Which is why it’s important now – more than ever – to heed the words, “Lest we forget.”
It’s hard to imagine the young people of today enthusiastically lining up to serve the way they did in 1914 and 1939. That’s less a condemnation of today’s youth than it is a recognition of how the blinders to the horrors of war have come off as a result of the examples of the past.
It’s also a reflection of how desensitized we are to those horrors. Today’s wars are broadcast on television – during the first Gulf War, CNN even had a theme song for their coverage – from thousands of miles away but that just serves to make the fighting seem less brutal, less personal.
We need to maintain this personal connection to our soldiers, to what it means to sacrifice for others and for your country. It’s important, particularly as the number of Second World War veterans dwindles, that we not forget the people who are willing to put themselves in the line of fire – for us.
Veterans deserve our greatest respect and our greatest gratitude. The veterans of the First World War were led down a tragic path in what was, ultimately, a futile, brutal and tragic war while those of the Second World War were fighting for the very roots of democracy.
The Legion in Airdrie is actively working to attract younger veterans. As Secretary/Treasurer Bill Dunbar said recently, the older veterans can help the younger veterans deal with their experience, particularly the stress they may feel after returning from the field of war.
According to Dunbar, the Canadian Legion has a history of this; the veterans of the First World War helped the veterans of the Second World War to deal with all they’d seen and experienced.
While I’m not a supporter of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, I am a supporter of our armed forces. I’d prefer we return to the role of peacemaker that we held for so many years – until the Harper government decided to follow the example of the United States and stray from that role.
The people serving right now deserve to have “lest we forget” said about them and to be included in our Remembrance Day observances. I hope on Nov. 11 you took the time to bow your head, observed a minute of silence and included them in your thoughts.
