I was fortunate enough to go to France and Germany when I was in Grade 12 on a highschool History trip. We saw Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich; we also went to Dieppe, Arras, and Vimy Ridge. At Vimy Ridge it was day of complicated emotions; one of pride of being Canadian seeing the Memorial and the thanks we, as Canadians who weren't alive then, received from the local citizenry; of profound sadness of the magnitude of death, not just of Canadians, but of all soldiers including German, for what was in essence dirt and cow dung; of bewilderment that Canadian men of our age gallantly went to battle and finding ourselves questioning if we could do the same if called upon us...... one assignment we had was to read Erich Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" which I highly recommend to all who have not read it.

One year in highschool I was part of a team charged with designing and staging the school's Remembrance Day Assembly. Having local dignitaries, legion members, and current military personnel in attendance was very special. We showed clips from the movie "Gallipolli" (which I also recommend) and played the "Peace on Earth" song performed by an international choir at the Closing Ceremonies of Expo 86 here in Vancouver.

I have also been fortunate to have visited PunchBowl National Cemetary in Oahu and Arlington Cemetary outside of Washington DC. Seeing the sacrifices of soldiers and thinking of the immeasurable cost of human life it certainly is a sobering exercise. All politics aside, let us remember and honour all soldiers, past and present, for their gallantry and honour in the name of duty.

Lest we Forget

It would seem that with the sentiments expressed here the federal government should declare the day a mandatory holiday for all instead of just the silly servants and maybe some write ins to MP's would help this along. I was pretty impressed by the strong Canadian nationalism I heard in Alberta and the seriousness of this day. Of course they are CONSERVATIVE there

I grew up in the UK, and although there was no formal holiday, there was a universal recognition of Remembrance (or Armistice) Day, including 2 minutes of silence on the BBC. I'm not sure that a national holiday is appropriate, but I appreciate the efforts to keep the memories alive. The London Free Press, to its credit, has been running stories all week, including the several about veterans going to elementary schools to talk to the kids there.

I have to say that I'm touched by the sentiments expressed here, and thanks mpc1 for beginning the thread. My own father spent most of his war building a railway in Burma and never talked about it, but he attended Remembrance Day services every year.

Well the whole world is remembering today and our american friends don't care...so typical.

I was in Hull today for business but I managed to finish my morning meeting early enough to see the end of the parad on Parliement Hill. I'm always moved by these old men, that were young at the time and saw so many of their friends felt under enemy fire.

When I was a kid, my father told me of two of his older brothers (family of 17!!) who served during WW II. One ended in Halifax in the kitchen.. but the other was part of a "cleaning" patrol after the take over of a town or village, where they had to visit every single house to make sure that there was no german snipers left behind... He came back, but he never talked about it. My thoughts are for him today...

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the 50th anniversary of the liberation of The Netherlands. Quite an amazing experience and one I will never forget. While I was never was old enough to know my Grandparents who fought in the war, I will always be grateful for what they and many other men and women did for our country.

Today, I was able to attend the ceremony at Toronto Old City Hall, and was pleased to see the number of young Canadians also in attendance.

May we never forget those we lost, and pray for those still representing our countries in missions around the world.

Allow me to post a story about the last Allied death (in today's G+M)...

On November 11, 1918, US army private Henry Gunther stood up during a lull in the machine-gun fire and charged the enemy. "The Germans stared in disbelief", says The Daily Express. "They had been told that morning that the fighting was about to stop; in a few minutes they would stop firing and go home. So why was this American charging at them with his bayonet drawn? They shouted at him to stop and frantically tried to wave him back but... he hadn't heard anything about any ceasefire."

A German gunnder released a 5-round burst and the solder lay dead at 10:59am . . . US military historian Joseph Persico notes that Private Gunther had previously been a sergeant but was demoted after an Army ecnsor read his letter to a friend back home, urging him to steer clear of the war at all costs.

Gunther, who was in no man's-land when the ceasefire news arrived, had been trying to prove himself worthy of his original rank.

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Indeed lest we forget at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

While I understand your feelings on this, parnel, consider the flip side. The spirit is well ingrained without it, and this makes the remembrance that you wish for, voluntary. It's quite amazing. In fact, I would venture to say that many people are unaware that Remembrance Day is not a mandatory holiday. People are out there, tall and proud of being Canadian and proud of our servicemen with a quiet dignity that makes me proud of them.

Tery Kelly has a great song to remind people. It's called "A Pittance of Time" and can be found here.

You can play either the MPEG or MOV version of it.

I was flying MHT-ORD this moring and one of the UA flight attendants was wearing a poppy! Her and I were the only ones so I asked her if she was Canadian. She said she was British but her parents lived in YVR so she understands the importance of the poppy ^^^

When I was flying to MHT on Monday I had someone walk by me and make a joke asking if I was wearing a secret microphone At that point I got on my high horse and explained why we wear them and threw in for good measure that I felt it was sad that with Veterans Day approaching I would have expected to see some support for those who have fought for their country. I of course said it with a smile but I couldn't help myself after being mocked about my poppy

Guess it just goes to show that WE DO REMEMBER up here and don't take it for granted

I just can't resist saying this. Don't forget that their war was 27 months shorter.

My father and my father-in-law both fought in WWII. My father-in-law was captured by the Japanese the day after arriving in Asia and spent the rest of the war in various POW camps. His experiences were truly harrowing, and I often wonder whether I would have had the courage to survive such an experience. He was 6'2" and weighed less than 90 pounds when he was finally released, suffering from TB and other problems. Despite all of his problems, he never carried any ill feelings towards the Japanese and actually encouraged us to visit Japan.

May we never forget the sacrifices our veterans and soldiers made (and continue to make) for all of us.

Thanks airbus320 for a great resource - it gives me even more impetus to visit the next time I'm in Europe. How long does it take to get from Paris to Beaumount-Hamel ? I'm under the impression it is about a 2 hr. train ride ? The reason I ask is that I do trips every two years to Europe and the next one is slated to include Paris and we do have some free time. I can't think of a better educational activity than seeing this area.

Singlepoint

In 2000, while leading a group of students through Europe, we found ourselves meandering our way through St. Paul's Cathedral in London. We were with an American group - from Lansing, MI - at the time. In St. Paul's, the guide was telling us about the blitz and showed us a monument dedicated to those who kept St. Paul's from burning down. As we walked away, one of the American students asked me if "Canada was in the war (WWII) ?" I replied, "Yes, we were - about two years before you (the Americans)."

Singlepoint

Singlepoint: I seem to remember that Beaumont-Hamel was near the city of Amiens. Amiens is two hours from Paris by train.