Once again, Airdrie residents will stand alongside local veterans on Remembrance Day to pay their respect and hopefully learn a little bit about Canadian war history, said Airdrie Legion president Jasen Hoffman.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 288 will host its annual Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11 at Genesis Place Recreation Centre starting at 10:30 a.m., in honour of veterans who have fought to preserve Canadians’ rights and freedoms.
Hoffman stated that in these turbulent times, it seems many Canadians are forgetting about the strength of Canadian forces and which battles they fought.
“There's not many battles that we have lost,” Hoffman said. “We're hoping that we can still continue to educate the public and the future generations going forward on what it meant for our country to serve in these wars that we have fought in and how well that we have done in our battles.”
He pointed to the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, where several allied armies had already attempted to overtake the enemy for two and a half years, while the Canadians took Vimy Ridge in just 36 hours.
“[We want to pass on] a little bit of knowledge to the citizens about how powerful the Canadian army actually was,” Hoffman said.
He added that the Legion’s 1st vice-president and himself were invited to Seoul, Korea, following the Korean War Battle of Gapyeong Victory Monument erected in the City of Airdrie by the City of Gapyeong.
During the Battle of Gapyeong in April 1951, the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) is remembered for helping prevent what could have been a costly defeat in the war, he explained.
“The turning point for the South Korean War was that battle,” Hoffman said. “It’s just a little bit of Canadian history.”
The official Remembrance Day ceremony this year at Genesis Place will look similar to previous years, starting with speeches at 10:30 a.m. followed by a parade of officials, prayers, a reading of the registry of fallen soldiers, and a moment of silence at 11 a.m.
A smaller service will run at the Light Armored Vehicle Memorial off Main Street, in honour of Canada’s Afghanistan veterans, where crosses are set up for those fallen in Afghanistan.
Following the two services, which last about an hour, the local legion’s Colour Party will be going to the Airdrie Cenotaph briefly to lay a wreath for the unknown soldiers – a show of respect for those who died in battle and were not found or identified.
After the official ceremonies, Legionnaires and attendees are encouraged to head over to the local branch on 1 Ave. NE for, “libations and a little toast to the king and to the fallen.”
Anybody in the community is welcome to the ceremony and the celebrations afterwards, Hoffman said.
He added the poppy campaign that runs through the Airdrie Legion in the lead-up to Remembrance Day has done surprisingly well this year.
Considering the economic times, Hoffman said the Legion was worried they wouldn’t see the same uptake, but they have.
“Our poppy campaign has been very, very well supported by the community,” he said. “Within the first week we already ran out of stock for all of our pins and hats and everything, we had to do a quick reorder from Ottawa.”
He noted the energy of the community in supporting its veterans has been amazing.
