Think back to when you were in elementary school. You teachers told you about Remembrance Day. They told you what it was about. You learned about the poppies. You memorized a poem and if your teachers were of a certain age they may have even played a song called "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?". You may have even been asked to talk to your Moms, Dads & Grand Parents if they had any info about war. You drew pictures and wrote about remembrance. But as a child you did not really understand what it was all about.

Now move on to High School. Perhaps an assembly was held. Maybe some one from the local Legion spoke to your class or school. You read novels about war in English class. The stories and info given to you got a little more graphic. You were older and your teachers thought you could handle it. But you were immature. Some got down right silly about it. You did not want to think of such things. It was more interesting to think about what's up this coming weekend and who you were hanging with. Besides it was only about old men and old stories. It does not have to do with you. It does not resonate.

Eventually you come to the realization that those that went to war were your age or younger. Maybe even your grandfather was your age once and he signed up and carried a weapon to war. He may have even fired it in anger. You now get it! A generation of people were involved in world wide conflict. Either on their own door step or safe here in the western world. Scared it might come here and worried about those that have gone "Over There" to fight in harms way. Or so you think you are now aware or the meaning of Remembrance Day but you have not experienced war. There has not been more than a skirmish here or there around the world in your life time. It happens all the time in the Middle East. Ya sure, you've see what war can do. You saw it on the news.

Then comes Sept 11, 2001. Your concept of conflict has changed and things about war look very different in your mind. Again there is a change in your view of Remembrance Day. It has changed a little for all of us. We now have experienced a small amount of fear. We wonder if this is something like the feeling those at home felt in the time of war? I am a young man what if this could get far worse? I might be called to the service of country and to in some way fight for a just cause.

Having lived in The National Capital Region for over a decade I have been to the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at The War Memorial many times. (Not every year, but this year would make it five occasions.) This time the feeling was somehow different. Instead of thinking about old men, once young risking life and limb for freedom & peace. About my Grand Parents their experiences and what they went through and did back then. We are at war, we have troops in harms way. We see "The Ramp Ceremonies" and the cars going down "The Highway of Heroes". The crowd was bigger and the feeling was more Shared somehow. We relive it in our minds. There has always been young solders represented but now we know those there have seen conflict first hand. They may have seen it before this current mission but it did not resonate somehow. It may have been just as dangerous but it was "Peace Keeping". Now it is somehow clearer and all present seem to be thinking about it at the same time. Remembrance Day Will Seem Different From Now On and so it should be.

For me it will no longer be "Lest We Forget". It will always be "I Will Never Forget"

   

   

I do not think it is all related to the present conflict that has perked people's interest more in Canada's military history or commemoration of it. I know even before veterans in the 1990's were telling me more people, young people were starting to come out and be more involved with the legions and with them. Why? Because they were and are getting old and soon many were thinking would be gone. So the idea of listening to them became more resound before there would be none left around to be heard. To put it into perspective my father never had veterans come to his school and talk or really did anything. They had a ceremony remembrance day some people mostly the veterans themselves showed up and older ones and that was it. Hippies and the other youth at the time didn't care and cared even less than the young people even do now. Many were even opposing them for fighting in a war because they thought of some children being gunned down in Vietnam. So I do not agree with your view because of Afghanistan more people became in tune with the armed forces and remembering them.

I think Matthew Halton said it best to me though.

[stream]http://ms.radio-canada.ca/archives/2002/en/wma/tdremembranceday19441111er1.wma[/stream]

What are we going to do after this war?