I would have loved to go to the National ceremony... but I've been voluntold I'm doing cenotaph duty in Vanier at 13:00.
Don't get me wrong, I love our veterans and will bend over backwards for them. It's just, there is nothing as powerfull, as emotional, or as potent as the National ceremony. With the choir singing; the guns echoing off the buildings; the crowds praying; the bands playing; and with 'Peace' and 'Liberty' watching over like heavenly angels, it's enough to make one cry.
This will be my 5th remembrance day in Ottawa and I have only seen the National Ceremony once. We've always paraded with the Vanier legion, and last year I got to fulfil a childhood dream of being part of the cenotaph party at the Vanier community memorial. But that meant I had to miss the ceremonies downtown because of rehearsals and timings. I thought someone else would want to have that honour this year... I guess I was wrong.