With the calendar revealing another year gone by, so marks the time for those who have endured the loss of family and friends serving in the military to take time to reflect on Nov. 11.
For retired Chief Warrant Officers of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) and Cochrane Legion members, Earl Kady and Michael Baranosky, it’s a time to honour their many cherished friends and comrades.
“The thing that comes to my mind is the comradery I had in the Canadian military,” said Kady, 76, who served from 1953-1993 in various peacekeeping missions around the world.
“You get to know people even better than your own family. . . and every time someone passes away, it takes a bit away from your psyche.”
It is a sentiment shared by long-time friend Baranosky, 72, who said its key to keep the tradition of paying homage on Remembrance Day alive.
“The problem is a lot of legions are closing down,” said Baranosky, who served from 1957-1974 in peacekeeping missions that included tours in Cypress, Egypt and Germany.
“People still think they have to be involved with the Canadian military to become a legion member, which they don’t. . . we’re not going to be around forever and we need young people to keep this going.”
Baranosky commented that the membership in the Cochrane Legion is currently sitting at 423 — high in comparison to legions across the country, many of which have closed their doors in recent years;
Both men agreed that there has been an increase in youth interest over the last few years, since the Afghanistan war began in 2001.
Cochranite James English is no stranger to the impact of Afghanistan on the home front.
James’s 23-year-old son, bombardier Shawn English, enlisted at the age of 20 and was deployed to Afghanistan for a tour of duty from Oct. 2011-March 2012.
“As a parent, you’re proud, yet extremely fearful because of course you don’t want them there at all,” said English.
He explained that his son’s duty overseas was to train the Afghanistan military to be self-sufficient — an exhausting mission that has been slow-moving, but is enough to compel his son to sign up for deployment again.
“He thinks he can make a difference and we support him in that. . . we are extremely proud of the entire Canadian military,” said the father of three.
James English commended the Canadian military for helping his son find his path in life.
“He just renewed his term for another three years,” said English. “He also just completed a 39-day leadership training program at his base in Shilo, Man., which will make him eligible to be promoted to Master Bombardier — pretty much unheard of in under five years of service.”
James said even though he has faithfully attended Remembrance Day services his entire life, as his father served in the Second World War successfully and his uncle also served in WWII, “unsuccessfully” he says, the day has certainly taken on even more significance for him over the last few years.
“I grew up attending out of respect for the Canadian military. . . I maintain that, but the day now has a new meaning with my own (son) over there.”
James said Shawn, who he speaks to often and travels to Manitoba every few months to visit, will be spending his Remembrance Day in Brandon, Man. with his fellow soldiers.
“To me, it’s incredibly sad that Remembrance Day is non-existent in some places, where they don’t even slow down. . . it’s criminal that in some parts of Canada people don’t even celebrate it.”
More than $21,000 was raised in the 2011 Cochrane Legion poppy campaign, doled out to various community groups throughout the year.
The largest gathering of Cochranites on Remembrance Day will begin at 10 a.m. at Cochrane High School on Nov. 11.
Following this, a colour party will lead those attending in a march down to the Cenotaph in front of the Legion for a wreath-laying ceremony that will begin at 11 a.m.
Celebrations will commence at noon, where veterans, families and anyone else are welcome to come by the Legion for a bite to eat or a frothy pint. Second vice-chair of the Cochrane Legion, Michael Baronosky, said it means a great deal to surviving veterans active Legion members to see younger generations take part in the annual Remembrance Day service to pay respects to the many who lost their lives to fight for the freedoms of present-day Canadians.
