One veteran is asking the public for help to make sure no stone is left alone this Remembrance Day.
“It is because of these people that the cadets have the freedom and everyone has the freedom that they do today,” said Jerry Peddle, No Stone Left Alone for Cochrane organizer.
The idea behind the campaign is to recognize the sacrifices from the military and place a poppy, the symbol of Remembrance, on every headstone of a person who has served for our country.
The campaign comes from the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that was launched in 2011, to honour fallen military and educate students and youth.
Peddle knows all about service, as a retired veteran who served three tours including one in Afghanistan, the Cochranite said he was also named sergeant three times in his military career.
“There are a few of my friends sitting in graveyards,” Peddle said.
Peddle adopted the No Stone Left Alone campaign and plans to put an additional twist to the campaign by asking youth to also place a coin on top of the tombstones.
“The significance of the coins came along in a (previous) war. If you didn’t know the person, you left a penny. If you did training with them, then you left a nickel. If you served with them, you left a dime. And if you were there when they died, you leave a quarter,” Peddle explained.
“I’ve been going through the graveyard and I don’t want to miss anybody – I am looking for people in the community to tell me who was in the military, a veteran is a veteran,” Peddle said.
For more information about the No Stone Left Alone foundation, go to nostoneleftalone.ca.
To help locally if you know of a veteran in the Cochrane Cemetery or for more information about the Cochrane campaign, contact organizer Jerry Peddle at [email protected].
