Remembrance Day

[dimsum]

What do War Veterans Remember on Remembrance Day?

I am a war veteran.

Remembrance Day is just around the corner.

Many people who are not war veterans wonder: what do war veterans remember on Remembrance Day?

The answer may surprise you….

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-war-veterans-remember-remembrance-day-richard-eaton?trk=pulse_spock-articles

Well said. 

Mods:  Could we just title this "Remembrance Day" and put it as a sticky?

 

[OldTanker]

Excellent post, Richard.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Just in time for Remembrance Day, the RCL come across looking like Mafia Dons wanting to protect their operation from interlopers.

Shared under the fair dealings provisions of the copyright act.

Remembrance Day poppy pin that won't fall off too commercial: legion HQ

Dominion Command says pin-centre substitute ‘defaces' sacred symbol

By Danielle Nerman, CBC News Posted: Nov 10, 2015 8:06 AM MT| Last Updated: Nov 10, 2015 11:29 AM MT

The head office of the Royal Canadian Legion says the sale of a little black pin designed to keep you from losing yet another poppy is commercializing Remembrance Day.

"People are being asked to pay $3 for a centre pin which is not really part of the spirit of the campaign. It's a commercial venture," said Bill Maxwell, senior program officer with the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command in Ottawa.

The pin is a near replica of the black felt centre of the legion's traditional poppy — minus the sharp, straight pin. Instead, the poppy centre substitute is a lapel pin with a flat back that doesn't poke and stays put.

The pins are manufactured and sold privately online for $3 to $5 apiece, but at least four Calgary branches are also selling them alongside their Remembrance Day poppy campaigns.

"There's a substantial discount that I give to the legions so that they can, you know, make some profit. And what they do with that — that's their business. They can put it into their general funds or they can put it into the poppy fund," said Doug Michetti, the Calgary man behind the poppy pin centres.

Michetti, a longtime legion member and volunteer, says branches sell his pins to the public for $3 each. He says he charges them "less than half that" for each pin and it costs him a dollar to make a pin. He keeps any remaining profit, but declined to provide more details.

"The legions do not sell them with the poppy. You contribute to the poppy fund and you take a poppy and if you want a pin, you buy that separately."

Designed for safety

Michetti came up with the idea for his poppy pin centres four years ago while volunteering for local branch No. 284 at the Calgary airport.

Two young girls from the U.S. approached him, curious about the red plastic flower brooches on his table. After a brief lesson in Canadian history, Michetti gave each of them a poppy pin.

"Then, their mother came along and she looked at the pin and the poppy and said, 'I'm sorry, but girls, you're going to have to give those back.' She was afraid of the pin."

That prompted Michetti to devise a safer backing. Excited by his eureka moment, he immediately rang up head office to inquire about joining forces.

Legion brass told Michetti it was good idea, but they were not interested.

"So I thought, well, it leaves me to do it. So I did it."


Poppy pin centres sell like gangbusters

On Monday, two Royal Canadian Legion branches in Calgary — No. 154 (Ogden) and No. 264 (Kensington) — had sold out of Michetti's pins.

"I've had no luck so far, " said Lise Marier, who has been searching the city for a dozen poppy pin centres for her family and friends.

In downtown Calgary, a volunteer with the No.1 branch sold 200 in three hours after the word got out on Facebook.

Social media has really ramped up the sale of the poppy centre pins.

"You know it is defacing our poppy, and our policy is such that the poppy should not be defaced," said Maxwell, who also speaks for the Royal Canadian Legion's poppy and remembrance committee in Ottawa.

His stance is in line with what's written on page 42 of the Legion's Poppy Manual — that the poppy is a 'sacred symbol of remembrance' and no other pin (except the pointy one that it comes with) should be used to attach it to your clothing.

Maxwell said legionnaires should wear their poppies in the traditional fashion, but recognizes that the Royal Canadian Legion can't control the will of the Canadian public.

"It's a personal choice. And it's better to wear a poppy than no poppy at all," he said.

Dominion Command has directed branches across Canada not to sell the poppy pin centre substitutes.

Maxwell adds that if people are worried about poking themselves with the poppy pin, many legion branches supply "poppy savers," or plastic ends, to put on the pointy end of the pin.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/remembrance-day-poppy-won-t-fall-off-1.3311799

His webpage is here: Poppy Pins  I'm ordering the 5 for $20 set.

 

[mariomike]

"Remembrance Day poppy pin that won't fall off too commercial: legion HQ"

From reading "The Poppy Selling Superthread- Merged", it looks like the poppy-pin issue has been around for years. 

 

[daftandbarmy]

Excellent post, Richard.

Thanks! Only took about 30 years to write....  ;D

 

[Jarnhamar]

"You know it is defacing our poppy, and our policy is such that the poppy should not be defaced," said Maxwell, who also speaks for the Royal Canadian Legion's poppy and remembrance committee in Ottawa.

His stance is in line with what's written on page 42 of the Legion's Poppy Manual — that the poppy is a 'sacred symbol of remembrance' and no other pin (except the pointy one that it comes with) should be used to attach it to your clothing.

Bullshit like this makes me want to stop wearing a poppy, or get on of the British looking one.

 

[Edward Campbell]

Bullshit like this makes me want to stop wearing a poppy, or get on of the British looking one.

I know; I keep buying them but then I attach them with something of my own: a Regimental badge, a Crowsnest pin, or a little maple leaf pin ~ anything I can do to disobey the Legion drones.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Lets see how long that Legion Pin only policy lasts after some poor US kid pokes his eye out with the pin and wins a $5 millions judgement against the Legion in the US, which our courts would recognize for execution because US courts are considered fair and unbiased.  ;D

 

[Jed]

:

I know; I keep buying them but then I attach them with something of my own: a Regimental badge, a Crowsnest pin, or a little maple leaf pin ~ anything I can do to disobey the Legion drones.

 

[Rifleman62]

ERC:

I know; I keep buying them but then I attach them with something of my own: a Regimental badge, a Crowsnest pin, or a little maple leaf pin ~ anything I can do to disobey the Legion drones.

Someone please explain to me why the CF cannot do the same.

I started wearing this Regimental pin my last year in uniform.

 

[dapaterson]

Start reading here: http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20081110

And carry on reading...

 

[Pat in Halifax]

I didn't hear of any posers in this year's round  ceremonies...a good thing...

 

[dimsum]

I didn't hear of any posers in this year's round  ceremonies...a good thing...

After the hoopla and media beat-down of the guy last year, I'd be surprised if there was one anywhere in Canada.

 

[Jarnhamar]

ERC:
Someone please explain to me why the CF cannot do the same.

RCL Mafia & United Way Mafia

 

[X Royal]

I didn't hear of any posers in this year's round  ceremonies...a good thing...

Sounds like one on Vancouver Island.
Found on a RCR group on Facebook.

"Anyone know this guy. Claims he served with the PPCLI, CAR and Cdn Guards as an infantryman/ Commando. Also, claims to have served in Viet Nam and after checking on his valour awards he's not listed as a recipient of the US Silver Star or Bronze Star for service with the US military. Same goes for his Purple Heart medal (brother from the 101st checked on it).
His name is Robert (Bob) Collins and lives on the island somewhere. Can someone vouch for his service? Nobody on the 2 Commando site know's him so we may have a poser that needs to be exposed. He shut down his site after he was questioned about his time in the Regiment."
Even the CD is misplaced.
Also many other inquiries don't pan out.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Sounds like one on Vancouver Island.
Found on a RCR group on Facebook.


"Anyone know this guy. Claims he served with the PPCLI, CAR and Cdn Guards as an infantryman/ Commando. Also, claims to have served in Viet Nam and after checking on his valour awards he's not listed as a recipient of the US Silver Star or Bronze Star for service with the US military. Same goes for his Purple Heart medal (brother from the 101st checked on it).
His name is Robert (Bob) Collins and lives on the island somewhere. Can someone vouch for his service? Nobody on the 2 Commando site know's him so we may have a poser that needs to be exposed. He shut down his site after he was questioned about his time in the Regiment."
Even the CD is misplaced.
Also many other inquiries don't pan out.

There was a brief discussion about him (without mentioning his name) on the Walt thread starting at this post.

 

[X Royal]

Seems the order of his medals has changed a little and in the picture I posted he has grown Canadian jump wings.

 

[X Royal]

His Facebook page has him living in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. 
His friends list may lead to some info.
https://www.facebook.com/bob.collins.7393264?ref=br_rs