They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadians:
Pte Michael Freeman - Afghanistan December 26, 2008
WO Gaetan Roberge - Afghanistan December 27, 2008
Sgt Gregory Kruse - Afghanistan December 27, 2008
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
I haven’t left London yet, I had planned to depart this morning but heavy fog made me decide to remain an extra day. I really hate travelling when visibility is reduced. My sister tells me she was glad that I was staying another day and it has been fun spending some more time with my great-nephew Apollo. It’s only the second time I’ve seen him and he’s almost 2 years old.
As we were kicked back yesterday enjoying the post Christmas lull word came through my email that the peace of the season had been broken by the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. The young man is from Peterborough which is only about an hour from where I live. Pte Freeman had just returned to Afghanistan after having a home leave which allowed him to celebrate with his family what would turn out to be his final Christmas. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s the pre-dawn of Christmas morning here in London, Ontario and the rest of the house is still slumbering away. Likely most of the city is slumbering except those homes with excited children who are itching to wake up parents and get on to the business of the day — opening presents. It’s all adults in this home. My adult niece and nephew will be arriving later today and my almost 2 year old grand-nephew will be visiting on Boxing Day.
Let me take this opportunity in the peaceful quiet at the beginning of a new day to wish you all a merry Christmas. Christmas Day is the one day of the year when most of us can set aside every day worries and stresses for other worries and stresses like will the present be right? or will the turkey be cooked on time? or … insert whatever. Those are stresses we can live with. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting involved in the Legion, at least the Colborne Legion, seems to mean that from October 31st until January 2nd, time seems to fly by in a blur. There is what needs to be done that we expect and then what has to be done that is unexpected but needs to be fit in, you know, things like having a bit of a life.
The Poppy Campaign hadn’t even ended when it was suddenly time to make arrangements for people to start applying for Christmas hampers. Christmas.. jeeeze it seemed like that was a long way off just days ago and it wasn’t even Remembrance Day yet. Interspersed in there was a couple of dinners, branch meetings & Santa Claus parade and before long.. November is over. Officially, so was the hamper applications but that doesn’t stop them coming in. Read the rest of this entry »
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadians:
Cpl Thomas Hamilton – Afghanistan December 13, 2008
Pte John Curwin - Afghanistan December 13, 2008
Pte Justin Jones - Afghanistan December 13, 2008
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them
In memory of our fallen Canadians:
Cpl Mark Mclaren – Afghanistan December 5, 2008
Pte Demetrios Diplaros - Afghanistan December 5, 2008
WO Robert John Wilson - Afghanistan December 5, 2008
Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated
Support Our Troops — Wear Red on Fridays
Well, Remembrance Day is over for another year. In the Legion, it is the most important day of the year. It is the day that we put on public display what we do year round, honour our fallen veterans. The day dawned rather wet but by the time the parade moved off at 10:45am it had settled for overcast and cool.
I have a long standing practice of not wearing a topcoat over my uniform blazer so the trick to warmth on a day like yesterday is dressing in layers under the shirt. I have a white turtleneck that is worn only on days like that followed by a white t-shirt and then my shirt. Had it been raining which has happened on some Remembrance Days, a clear plastic bag would have been cut to match under my blazer in an effort to keep the layers dry. November in Canada, you expect just about any weather, including snow. Read the rest of this entry »
In my role as Legion President I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Colborne Rotary Club meeting tonight. Here are my remarks:
—————————————-
Silent the dead.
Remembering, we stand silent as they,
for words cannot esteem causes of war,
the love of native land,
all that they were,
and all they might have been.
Tomorrow, at day break, the last of 68,000 names will flash up on public buildings in London, England and six cities across Canada. They started their silent vigil a week ago, each name showing for 8 seconds from sundown to sunup. They are the names of the Canadians who gave their lives for Canada during World War 1.
As 11:00am approaches, Canadians will go to local cenotaphs as either participants or observers, others will prepare to shut down equipment, others will watch the clock as they prepare to observe a two minute wave of silence across the country. Transit systems, factories, offices, schools will come to a halt in silent remembrance of the moment when the guns fell silent 90 years ago.
A silence in which we will reflect on the horrific cost of war. A silence in which we honour the service, the sacrifice and the selflessness of the thousands of Canadians who took up arms to defend what we as Canadians hold dear – our freedom. Read the rest of this entry »
Hard to believe that October is almost over. Sometimes the months just fly by. As October ends, my thoughts and attention shifts to several areas. The first and most important is Remembrance Day. In Canada and many countries throughout the world we pause on November 11th to remember those who came before us, their service and their sacrifice to keep us free during the last century and now Afghanistan.
Starting October 31st Canadians will start seeing boxes of blood red poppies on countertops in stores and sported on lapels of Canadians. The Royal Canadian Legion spearheads this annual drive. It’s primary purpose is to promote awareness. It also raises funds for the care of our veterans and their dependents. Some perceive the poppy as a support or glorification of war. It is actually, the exact opposite, Read the rest of this entry »
This post isn’t about me, it is about two people who are very dear to me. These two people, Scott & Kim, haven’t been in my life for a whole bunch of years but in the short time they have lived in this community, I’ve come to care for them very much.
Kim is the 1st Vice-President at the local Legion Branch, she agreed to take that position when I asked her to become part of the Executive team who would either be the last executive that branch ever had or we’d be the start of a revitalization of a branch on the edge of closure. I had to absolutely guarantee that I would not make her chair a meeting in my absence and that I absolutely would not die and make her become President while she held that position. So far, I’ve not let her down on that. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s Friday of the long weekend which marks the Canadian Thanksgiving, a traditional time to celebrate the end of harvest. A transition of sorts towards the long cold winter that is to come. Somehow it seems so right that the transition is marked in nature by the changing of the trees, to a blaze of fall colours just before they fall off their trees which are preparing for their winter rest.
I’d like to be preparing for my winter rest, I’m not a winter lover. I do have to admit to admiring the cleansing effect of fresh fallen snow on the landscape. As long as I don’t have to drive in it. I’m fortunate in that I do have the freedom to be able to draw the line in the snow and refuse to drive when snow or sleet is falling. The only time I really get caught in it is if I’m away from home when it gets underway. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m really glad that I stole last Sunday for a day for myself, this last week has been a pretty busy one. A good part of the non-work part of the week was getting ready for a roast beef dinner at the Legion on Friday night. What a meal that was, we served 142 people in just less than an hour and then had to cut the sales off as we had almost run out of meat. We were tired but really pleased. Attendance at these meals is always a guessing game.
Yesterday wasn’t such a good day for me. My stomach decided it was as good a time as any to go into spasms. I had to bail from the preparations and serving of our monthly brunch and retreat to my bed. It’s still hurting today but at least I can sit up and get some writing done. In between, I’m doing a bit of cleanup in the house but am really learning how much my stomach muscles are in use in a given day. As long as I can get dishes done and some general tidy around done, I’ll be happy. Read the rest of this entry »
