Wouldn't it be wonderful if Nov. 11th was just another day? Another seemingly carbon-copied day of pre-winter greyness notable only for what happens in the present, as opposed to a lamentation of what was lost in the past.
Unfortunately, Nov. 11th is not just another day. It's the time when we reflect upon those we've lost to one of man's greatest flaws — the ability to wage war upon one another.
Whatever your views on war are, today's a time to put politicking aside and remember those who came before us. To remember those who served, both abroad and on home soil supporting their efforts, in the various armed conflicts from the past couple of centuries: The Boer War, WWI, WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And let's not forget those who have worn the blue hats in peacekeeping and stabilization missions, including — but not limited to — Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Darfur, and Haiti.
Sadly, our ties to those early wars are disappearing. In Canada, we have no surviving WWI veterans; the UK has two and the US has one. Our number of WWII veterans is also succumbing to the passage of time. Remembrance Day events are attended by fewer and fewer people. Poppies still dot the lapels of Canadians, but how many people truly understand their significance or are they wearing them simply out of ceremony? I hope the former is the case.
My ties to the wars are thin. Both my grandfathers served, but one died when I was five, while the other died in my early teens, but was never a part of my life. My wife's grandfather passed only a few years ago and was a member of the RCAF, but due to health issues was not able to serve overseas. That's it. I'm fortunate that, in large part, my family's been untouched by the ravages of war.
I used to worry that the lessons learned in these wars would be lost upon our children. Worse, are they being desensitized to the realities of war through movies and video games? I'm a small-scale gamer myself, so I'm not one to believe that video games (like rock music before it) is the root of all evil. However, as realistic as these games are nowadays, the fact of the matter is that there are no extra lives in real war. You can't reboot the game, or rewind the DVD, and start again. Compound that with modern military campaigns that include weapons that are controlled much like video games — such as armed drones that allow soldiers to bomb from afar while controlling it remotely from the relative safety of a bunker — and it's hard to imagine that the realities of trench warfare can continue to resonate with the next generations.
I used to worry about those lessons. Now I'm worried that the opposite is coming true. More and more, today's families are being fractured due to the loss of loved ones. Since 2002, 152 Canadians have returned home from Afghanistan not to a hero's welcome, but rather a mournful wake along the Highway of Heroes. Sergeant Marc Léger, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, and Privates Richard Green and Nathan Smith were the first Canadian casualties in Afghanistan. And on Aug. 30th of this year, Corporal Brian Pinksen died in Germany after being wounded just outside of Kandahar.
Unfortunately, this scenario is not unique to Canadians. Our friends in the U.S. have lost 1,273 men and women in this conflict alone; the UK has lost 341… In total 27 coalition countries have suffered losses. And let's not forget those families in Afghanistan who too have suffered losses. Despite our best efforts, war is indiscriminate in deciding who dies. It would be great to think that it's only the bad guys who lose — but there are some innocent lives lost in any conflict, not to mention the tremendous damage to the country's infrastructure and future.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we didn't need a Highway of Heroes; if these fine men and women were remembered not by the masses for losing their lives in conflict with one another, but instead only remembered by their families for years of shared experiences and memories not cut short in a hail of bullets or mortar fire?
Alas, we live in a world where that stretch of the 401 exists. We live in a world where cenotaphs dot the landscape from coast to coast. And we live in a world where children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren only know their mothers, fathers, and grandparents framed by yellow, curling edges of a photograph.
It's our responsibility to ensure that those memories aren't lost. There are a number of sites dedicated to preserving our soldiers' stories in their own words. Share them with your children. There are some wonderful programs out there that allow you to write to military personnel in the field. Let them know you care.
You don't have to support a war, or even the concept of war, to support our troops. And there's no better time to start than today, Remembrance Day. Take a moment to reflect upon those you've lost in war. Take a moment to recognize the efforts of those who have served — and continue to serve — our nation. If you see a veteran, say thank you to them. And if you know someone who has lost a loved one in a recent conflict, reach out to them and let them know you're there. If you can get to a cenotaph or a ceremony today, please do so. If not, take a moment at 11 a.m.* to honour these men and women.
*I want to thank Amway Canada's management and human resources staff for affording us the opportunity to have a moment of reflection. At 11 a.m., we cut out the in-house Musak, and an announcement is made to remind employees. It's a small gesture, but it truly means a lot. Thank you again.
What does Remembrance Day mean to you? And for our U.S. friends, Veterans Day? Our readers overseas? How do you recognize the event? And if you do, how do you pass along the significance and lessons to your children? Please feel free to use the comments below.
With that said, I'll leave you with Lieutenant Colonel John McRae's immortal words — and the motivation behind the actions of millions of poppy-wearing Canadians over the years — from the poem, In Flanders Fields. Again, in an ideal world, LCol McRae never would have had the experience that led to the inspiration for these words. But we don't live in an ideal world. Until we do, we need to continue to hold fast to these memories, pass them along to future generations, and try to learn from these lessons.
After all, they say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. And I honestly believe that none of us wants to repeat the loss of almost 80,000,000* lives to war again.
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields."
* (Please note that this number is an estimate, based upon reviewing various source documents, and is not intended to be a definitive count of the actual number of war dead from all sides of the conflict. The number was reached by adding up estimates of lives lost, using neither the most conservative, nor the most expansive estimates: 75,000 [Boer War], 55,000,000 [WWII], 15,000,000 [WWI], 3,000,000 [Korean War], 4,200,000 [Second Indochina War], Iraq [1,690,000], and Afghanistan [50,000])
I was all ready to get on my soapbox here and talk about how dismayed I was by the lack of poppies appearing on my fellow Canucks' lapels, but somethingstopped me from going down my path. What stopped me? Well, simply the fact that to do that would make me a hypocrite.
Personally, I strongly believe that people should wear a poppy in remembrance of those who have fallen in the service of our country. Yes, they should wear it, but only for the right reasons.
Should you wear a poppy? In my mind, the answer is yes. But that's what's right for me. It's what I believe. However, a poppy is just a symbol. Worn the right way, it's a reflection of what's in your heart and mind. It's a silent way to show our veterans your respect and appreciation for their efforts and the sacrifices they and their fallen comrades have suffered on our behalf.
In the end, it's just a symbol. Poppies aren't the be all and end all. At the base level, they're just a fund-raiser for organizations that support veterans. Can you be faulted for not supporting that? Not really. There are thousands upon thousands of worthwhile charities out there — this is just another one. We all make our choices as to which organizations we lend our physical and financial support. There are no rights or wrongs in this.
And when I say "wearing the poppy the right way," I don't mean in a certain direction, or on a certain lapel. A lot of times, I find that overt displays of fealty to a particularcause/creed/belief are done for the wrong reason — they're designed to show other people how loyal/pious they are to a cause. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but actions still speak louder than both image and word alike. I don't believe, like certain people do — and will look down upon those who don't — that you have to go to a church to show your faith. I believe you can find whatever god you're looking for anywhere in the world. If you want to go to church and share your faith with like-minded, go ahead. If you want to observe in your own way, quietly in your home, then that's great. There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to personal expression of faith.
Nov. 11th is not about wearing a poppy. It's about sharing — sharing our memories, sharing the memories of our veterans whose own time to share their experiences may be running short, and sharing a wish for a world free from violence, so that we can stop adding fresh names to memorials and cenotaphs around the world.
Whether or not I wear a poppy, I'm still trying to walk the walk. All direct ties I have to war are gone — my grandfather, my wife's grandfather. But still we try to keep their memories alive in our children. We can tell the stories I've heard about my grandfather, Charles J. Spencer, who served during WWII on the corvette HMCS Buctouche. We can talk about a different time where war was the dominant aspect of daily life.
Unfortunately, is it really that different? We're still losing soldiers to overseas wars. We've dedicated a stretch of highway as the Highway of Heroes, not out of remembrance, but out of necessity. This stretch of highway marks the route that the military processions take when bringing back Canadian bodies from Afghanistan. Our blood has been spilled on Afghani and Iraqi soil. It has fallen in numerous peacekeeping missions around the world, such as Cyprus — peacekeeping missions in which we, as Canadians, have taken great pride. Every day we can turn on the news and see images of war. The scale may not be global, but the impact is just as great today as it was in the early 1900s.
When I was growing up, we used to receive poppies at school. They don't do it any longer (schools are probably afraid of the lawsuit they'd get if some kid poked himself with the pin). We'd slap them on our chests, without really knowing why. We wore them because we were told to. Is that respect? No. It's blind adherence. As I got older, I made the choice to wear a poppy, because I feel I understand more now, as an adult, than I did then. But it's my choice.
Poppy or no poppy, the best thing you can do today, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, is to take a moment to reflect upon those who have come before. Regardless of your stance on war, these people fought for their believes in OUR future — that deserves respect.
It doesn't matter if you go to a cenotaph, watch the proceedings at home on TV, spend time at a veteran's hospital, or just take a moment at your office desk — your actions will speak far louder than words — or poppies can ever do.
Your thoughts, as always, are welcomed in the comments.
(Hmmm… I have a hard enough time finding relevant Canadian song titles for these posts and I burn TWO in ONE!!!!)
There are two big things happening North of the 49th this week: one being a look back and the other representing hope for the future!
First off, Remembrance Day is tomorrow. At 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, many of us will pause for a moment of silence — a time during which we're to reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought for a world in which they believed.
Unfortunately, fewer and fewer of these veterans are around to share their stories. My grandfather served in the navy on the HMCS Buctouche, a Flower-class corvette in the Royal Canadian Navy. He survived the war, but passed away when I was five. My wife's grandfather (air force) also passed away fairly recently — another link to that past severed. And it's a refrain that's heard far too often. Too few of these Canadian veterans remain, their stories are in danger of being lost, and it's up to us — the second, third, and fourth generations removed from that time to keep the flame of their memories not only lit, but burning brightly..
Each year I wear a poppy on my lapel. Regardless of my personal opinion on guns, I respect the sacrifices these men and women made — and continue to make in such far-flung reaches, like Afghanistan. Regardless of one's opinion of war, the members of our armed forces deserve our support and respect. I try to instill that respect in my own children (14 and seven respectively) and I believe I'm doing a good job. But I can see elsewhere that the respect is fading.
It sounds stupid, I know, but one of the things that bothers me most is when people shout out during the playing of our national anthem. In my other life I cover hockey, which has brought me to many an arena over the years. Too often, as the final strains of the anthem approach, some moron uses the pause to shout "Go [Insert team name here] Go!"
Now, I can appreciate how rare it is that, for one who was educated with an inner tube and a banana, those few remaining neural connections and synapses all come together. I appreciate the effort it takes to drag those knuckles skyward to bring them to one's mouth. But there's a time and a place for everything. Our anthem deserves respect — especially at this time of year.
The worst example I ever saw was a couple of years back here in London. We were honoured by the presence of a few veterans — many of whom looked like they would not be around for many more ceremonies of this type. As they stood rigid, once again raising themselves to their youthful glory, saluting the flag, some bottom-feeder from the crowd chose to shout out a "Go Knights Go" during the anthem. I, and the other members of press row, immediately felt sick — and even the majority of the crowd appeared to understand the inappropriateness of this action, as they booed his below. But a moment — a special moment when we were in the presence of those who know true sacrifice — to pay our respects was cheapened by one who doesn't understand respect.
Maybe it's our video game culture. War, both in real-life and on-screen, can be fought by remote control. It's easy to be removed from the humanity of war when you can't see the person whose life you're ending. In World War I, those in the trenches could see their targets across the mud-and-blood-drenched fields. Now, remotes are guided by soldiers watching from thousands of miles away.
We owe it to our veterans — and to each other — to keep those memories alive, as those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Please take a moment of your time at 11 a.m. tomorrow to reflect upon where you are, who you are, and how that was shaped by those who came before you. And please pass that message to your children. The fight to keep those memories alive is one we must not lose.
NOW, on a happier note, we're gearing up for the Pathways to Success Product Expo in Calgary, AB! We're flying out of London waaayyyyy too early on Thursday to start getting ready for the thousands of you we're expecting to come through the Stampede Roundup Centre.
All hands are on deck now as we've literally hit a little bump in the road (I'll fill you in later… trust me), but we're looking forward to a great show. Come one, come all! IBOs, prospects, customers, visitors, people wandering the streets… head on over! And if you can't make it, I'll be live blogging the event, posting photos and audio, and basically doing everything I can to get you as close to the action as you can get, without actually being there!
But make sure you be there, OK? I'll talk to you on Thursday to tell you about the "bump" and fill you in on set-up!