Next year will mark the 100-year anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Unfortunately, its moniker as “the war to end all wars” ultimately proved wrong and since the inception of Remembrance Day in 1919, we have had more wars and more sacrifices.
Most, if not all, Canadians have either a relative or are close to someone who had family who served in the military.
Between the First and Second World Wars, approximately 35 million soldiers were killed. Since the First World War and including peacekeeping missions and the Afghanistan conflict, more than 115,000 Canadian soldiers died as a result of military action.
While Remembrance Day began as a way to commemorate the sacrifices and bravery of those who served during the First World War, it has expanded over the years to include veterans of the many conflicts that followed.
Since we are so far removed from the First and Second World wars it can be difficult for people to relate to the scale of those conflicts and just what was at stake. There have been many wars since, but none have threatened our freedom to the extent the two great wars did, which is why it continues to be important to reflect on them.
It is also vital to reflect on the men and women who continue to serve in the armed forces. Whether you agree with the conflicts Canada has engaged in with its allies – from peacekeeping in Africa to the War on Terror in Afghanistan – we can’t let our political ideologies cause us to discard the many veterans and their families affected by those missions.
Often we hear during Remembrance Day ceremonies that we are honouring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our freedom. Obviously that euphemism refers to those who have died, but we can’t forget the many who come home with irreparable physical and mental injuries.
Unfortunately, it seems our government does just that, despite the platitudes it doles out on Remembrance Day.
As of the end of June, Veterans Affairs Canada had 750 veterans identified as homeless in its client database, compared with 650 as of last September. A federal review of shelter data estimated there were 2,950 veterans – 2.2. per cent of the overall shelter population – who used shelters in 2014.
Fortunately we have many citizens and organizations across the country and right here in Cochrane who dig deep to help Canadian veterans and their families.
Part of that help comes from the annual poppy campaign. Last year Cochranites contributed $48,600 to the poppy drive and the hope is $50,000 will come in this year to help veterans and their families in the area.
On Nov. 11, as we remember those who died in defence of Canada, let’s also remember the thousands who survived but suffer with the physical and mental traumas of war.
