Remembrance Day: National holiday?/"Veterans' Day"? (merged)

[ueo]

It's still alive. First Sunday in June.

Where ?

 

[dimsum]

Where ?

Canadian Armed Forces Day Celebrates the Contribution of Military Personnel - Canadian Military Family Magazine

Canadian Armed Forces Day, marked on the first Sunday of every June, will allow Canadians from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the heroic contributions of Canadian soldiers this weekend. First Sunday in June More than 70 countries around the world celebrate Armed Forces Day. Canadian Armed...

www.cmfmag.ca

It’s “alive”, as in it’s an official day started in 2002.

Not to be confused with “is it celebrated publicly”.

(And yes, I had to look it up myself. I had heard of it but didn’t realize it was a real day.)

 

[ueo]

Canadian Armed Forces Day Celebrates the Contribution of Military Personnel - Canadian Military Family Magazine

Canadian Armed Forces Day, marked on the first Sunday of every June, will allow Canadians from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the heroic contributions of Canadian soldiers this weekend. First Sunday in June More than 70 countries around the world celebrate Armed Forces Day. Canadian Armed...

www.cmfmag.ca

It’s “alive”, as in it’s an official day started in 2002.

Not to be confused with “is it celebrated publicly”.

(And yes, I had to look it up myself. I had heard of it but didn’t realize it was a real day.)

Thanks

 

[GR66]

I believe Borden still puts on an event for Canadian Armed Forces Day (or at least they did up until Covid). It was tied in with an airshow every other year(?). This year's airshow was shifted to the Barrie waterfront as part of the RCAF's 100th Anniversary.

 

[OldSolduer]

The various knee jerk issues of being able to go to work in uniform or not was bubbling around that time as well

The higher help had their knickers in a twist about soldiers being allowed to wear combats to work and back and make short stops.
"Too aggressive looking" was one of the reasons the lace knicker folks put forward.

 

[ModlrMike]

I can't say I have an issue with Veteran's Week, culminating in Remembrance Day, but it has to be marketed that way. Remembrance day cannot be subsumed by the valid objective of honouring veterans.

 

[ytz]

I guess now we need to figure out what month doesn't have a Federal Stat Holiday for where it would be appropriate...or should we leave it up to the Provincial and Territorial governments to come up with their own day?

I hope not. Having spent time in the US, I really dislike the idea of days of reverence becoming public holidays. They just become commercial holidays. For example, Memorial Day, to mark their war dead, is the holiday that marks the start of their summer, like Victoria Day in Canada. Closer to home, we created a new holiday "Truth and Reconciliation Day" and the PM spent the first one surfing.

 

[mariomike]

Must have been pretty hard not to have known neighbours killed during the World War years.

Looked at Toronto's KIA map. Noticed one little side street had ten men killed in the 1914-1918 war alone.

5, 33, 41, 46, 54, 59, 60, 62, 65, 76 Shannon St.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1FVrh0s813LFg3t1uQ2knTqRQXWu1314K&femb=1&ll=43.65308265190588%2C-79.42414649999999&z=19

Likely a similar situation across Canada.

 

[GK .Dundas]

The higher help had their knickers in a twist about soldiers being allowed to wear combats to work and back and make short stops.
"Too aggressive looking" was one of the reasons the lace knicker folks put forward.

According to a buddy of mine,one of the most embarrassing moments in his life occurred the day after 911. He suggested his to his CoC that the sight of Canadian military personnel in uniform might reassure the public
The reply apparently was not only no but managed to in a fax that came across as both condescending and possibly the only written panic attack he'd ever encountered.
So he went to work wearing civies.

 

[lenaitch]

Canadian Armed Forces Day Celebrates the Contribution of Military Personnel - Canadian Military Family Magazine

Canadian Armed Forces Day, marked on the first Sunday of every June, will allow Canadians from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the heroic contributions of Canadian soldiers this weekend. First Sunday in June More than 70 countries around the world celebrate Armed Forces Day. Canadian Armed...

www.cmfmag.ca

It’s “alive”, as in it’s an official day started in 2002.

Not to be confused with “is it celebrated publicly”.

(And yes, I had to look it up myself. I had heard of it but didn’t realize it was a real day.)

In North Bay it has traditionally been mid-month, mid-week down at the waterfront with static displays and an air show of some sort. Local schools are closed and the kids bused to the waterfront.

 

[Furniture]

Must have been pretty hard not to have known neighbours killed during the World War years.

Looked at Toronto's KIA map. Noticed one little side street had ten men killed in the 1914-1918 war alone.

5, 33, 41, 46, 54, 59, 60, 62, 65, 76 Shannon St.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1FVrh0s813LFg3t1uQ2knTqRQXWu1314K&femb=1&ll=43.65308265190588%2C-79.42414649999999&z=19

Likely a similar situation across Canada.

That was entirely my point... people back then actually knew the veterans, and the dead.

Today, most popple at best are vaguely aware of those that have served, let alone those that died.

 

[Furniture]

I hope not. Having spent time in the US, I really dislike the idea of days of reverence becoming public holidays. They just become commercial holidays. For example, Memorial Day, to mark their war dead, is the holiday that marks the start of their summer, like Victoria Day in Canada. Closer to home, we created a new holiday "Truth and Reconciliation Day" and the PM spent the first one surfing.

Almost as if days of "eeverance" that aren't relevant to modern lippe become nothing more than Santa Claus and Easter Bunnies...

 

[stoker dave]

While perhaps this is a slight drift, I think it's related.

I volunteer at a large seniors and veterans long term care facility. (Volunteering there is immensely rewarding, but that is a different topic.)

Right now, some of the recreation activities for veterans seem to be a bit behind the times. They have sing-alongs featuring "White Cliffs of Dover" and the crafts are (sometimes) fancy cut-and-paste activities using scissors, glue and coloured paper.

My guess is that when the so-called 'modern' veterans start showing up (sorry guys - it's not that far in your future), their idea of recreation might be to smoke some weed, play some Motorhead or Def Leppard really loud then get into a massive on-line battle on Call of Duty.

The future of long-term care for veterans will need to reflect the history and interests of those veterans.

 

[medicineman]

While perhaps this is a slight drift, I think it's related.

I volunteer at a large seniors and veterans long term care facility. (Volunteering there is immensely rewarding, but that is a different topic.)

Right now, some of the recreation activities for veterans seem to be a bit behind the times. They have sing-alongs featuring "White Cliffs of Dover" and the crafts are (sometimes) fancy cut-and-paste activities using scissors, glue and coloured paper.

My guess is that when the so-called 'modern' veterans start showing up (sorry guys - it's not that far in your future), their idea of recreation might be to smoke some weed, play some Motorhead or Def Leppard really loud then get into a massive on-line battle on Call of Duty.

The future of long-term care for veterans will need to reflect the history and interests of those veterans.

 

[mariomike]

That was entirely my point... people back then actually knew the veterans, and the dead.

Today, most popple at best are vaguely aware of those that have served, let alone those that died.

Right.

When I replied, I had the Original Post in mind.

I believe we need a Remembrance Day, something which is about those who made the supreme sacrifice, NOT about veterans who made it safely home to bed.

 

[Edward Campbell]

When my father was KIA, Feb 1943, someone in Ottawa - Percy Nelles' puzzle palace - decided that someone should write letters to the mothers and widows of the others KIA. That was the "standard thing," after all. It was, normally, the job of the captain, but he was dead and the XO was somewhere in a long, not terribly well organized repatriation chain, so ... "let's ask the captain's widow to do it," they said to themselves. It can't be our job, they decided, we're just a bunch of regular force RCN types waiting for the Navy to build ships worthy of us because we couldn't be expected to go to sea in those slow, wet, little corvettes that were actually fighting and winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Here is a sample of one of the letters:

 

[OldSolduer]

When my father was KIA, Feb 1943, someone in Ottawa - Percy Nelles' puzzle palace - decided that someone should write letters to the mothers and widows of the others KIA. That was the "standard thing," after all. It was, normally, the job of the captain, but he was dead and the XO was somewhere in a long, not terribly well organized repatriation chain, so ... "let's ask the captain's widow to do it," they said to themselves. It can't be our job, they decided, we're just a bunch of regular force RCN types waiting for the Navy to build ships worthy of us because we couldn't be expected to go to sea in those slow, wet, little corvettes that were actually fighting and winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Here is a sample of one of the letters:

Every year a very nice lady sends us a card with her blessings.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

When my father was KIA, Feb 1943, someone in Ottawa - Percy Nelles' puzzle palace - decided that someone should write letters to the mothers and widows of the others KIA. That was the "standard thing," after all. It was, normally, the job of the captain, but he was dead and the XO was somewhere in a long, not terribly well organized repatriation chain, so ... "let's ask the captain's widow to do it," they said to themselves. It can't be our job, they decided, we're just a bunch of regular force RCN types waiting for the Navy to build ships worthy of us because we couldn't be expected to go to sea in those slow, wet, little corvettes that were actually fighting and winning the Battle of the Atlantic.

Here is a sample of one of the letters:

You mother was an articulate, caring person who was called to help comfort those others in her situation. Shame on those officers that didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do their jobs properly. It's easy to see why you are so proud of her.

 

[Rifleman62]

To ask a widow, who is personal pain, to write those letters is really unimageable.
Your Mother was stout of heart.

 

[Blackadder1916]

@Edward Campbell

The war produced many heroes. Your mother was one.