Remembrance Day

[Eye In The Sky]

I went home for Remembrance Day to attend with my father (ret'd WO) who isn't able to do the parade part anymore.

I was and still am fairly pissed off at the way it went.  It was inside at the arena, which was nice for the actual vets to be out of the wind and cold.  They had a big stage set up, which I thought would be for the vets.

Nope!  The vets were all in chairs in front of the stage.  The stage, however, was full of city councellors, the Student rep from the local highschool, pretty much anyone who apparently thinks they are important and worthy of being on a stage on Nov 11th.

Aside from the Aide de Camp, the only "military" person on the stage was a retired MP who is the President of the local RCAFA Wing. 

The vet's were barely mentioned yet every stage "celebrity" was introduced and all that jazz. 10 minutes into the speech given by the Student Rep, I wanted to stand up and yell out "SUM UP!". 

The marching contingent was made up of Legion members (many who have never served), retired CAF and a few ppl in DEU.  The Parade Sgt-Major was in a Legion outfit with 4 or 5 of the right-breast shit nickels and not so much as a CD on the left. 

/rant on

IMO, CIC folks who are not CIC Officers in DEU should NOT be on the parade, and shouldn't be wandering around making sure they are seen "making leadership noises", especially in yoga pants that are 10 sizes too small and make them look like they are smuggling 50lbs of cottage cheese between their knees and waist.  :facepalm:  They are embarrassing and do not reflect well on the Cadet organizations.  The CIC Officers didn't wander around making arse's out of themselves, why a few of these civie whatever-they-are's take it upon themselves to walk around like circus clowns is beyond me.

/rant off

I also sat there and watched a few ppl in DEU go thru the entire event with their head dress removed, no saluting at the appropriate times etc.  ???

It seemed to me that the whole event was more about a bunch of peoples' sense of self-importance being stroked than remembering the fallen and the vets.  My father and I left shaking our head. 

 

[jpjohnsn]

/rant on

IMO, CIC folks who are not CIC Officers in DEU should NOT be on the parade, and shouldn't be wandering around making sure they are seen "making leadership noises", especially in yoga pants that are 10 sizes too small and make them look like they are smuggling 50lbs of cottage cheese between their knees and waist.  :facepalm:  They are embarrassing and do not reflect well on the Cadet organizations.  The CIC Officers didn't wander around making arse's out of themselves, why a few of these civie whatever-they-are's take it upon themselves to walk around like circus clowns is beyond me.

/rant off

Small correction, there is no such thing as CIC folks who are not CIC officers.  I'm thinking you mean civilian instructors but, you are correct, that's seriously not cool.  Dress for CIs is laid out in our regs as follows:

38. When participating in corps / squadron
activities, CIs shall wear civilian attire
appropriate to the type of activity being
conducted (i.e. the civilian equivalent of the
uniform that the unit officers are wearing).
When participating in parades or public
presentations CIs shall be dressed in a jacket
and tie or the equivalent level of dress for
female staff.

In Barrie, where I attended the parade, the parade was well attended and, for the most part, well organized, but the local Legion has allowed the number wreaths laid to steadily increase over the last few years.  It started well with  the military, veteran, Silver Cross Mother and the various governmental ones you'd expect (though the number of veterans groups seems to be increasing - I suspect that many have a total membership of 1 or 2).  Then we started to get into wreaths from the local hospital, fire department, a couple of local clinics, 3 levels of police (RCMP, OPP and Local) AND their associations, one on behalf of HMCS Sackville (by someone - whom I know - who never served aboard her nor was related to anyone who served on her), and quite a few random community organizations. 

Then an ever-growing list of wreaths laid by relatives of veterans who did not die while in the service, but had passed away anytime over the last decade or so. 

The laying of wreaths took almost 40 minutes.

Maddeningly for my squadron, the COs and Cox'n/RSM/SWO of the 3 cadet corps went up to get ready to lay their unit's wreaths (as we have always done going back to the 1940s) only to find that they were "pre-laid" by the Legion, along with a few others from some random groups, before the parade to make room for the "important" ones.  The cadets from the 3 corps did their annual overnight vigil at the cenotaph in the wind and rain and the snow all night, they stood on parade in the wind and drizzle that morning but they weren't "important" enough to lay a wreath on the day. 

 

[Journeyman]

For all those unhappy about the way the Legion operated this week (and trust me, I'm no fan of the Legion), write a letter now, laying out your concerns and offer suggestions for improvement.  Then next Sept/Oct, write another letter reiterating your thoughts to refresh memories.

Otherwise it's just trash-talk here, and not likely to be addressed by next November 11th.

 

[Edward Campbell]

There is a minimum, and, in my opinion ,a maximum programme for a Remembrance Day service.

The minimum is:

    1. Read the Act of Remembrance ~

          They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
          Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
          At the going down of the sun and in the morning
          We will remember them.

    2. Observe two minutes of silence - there is no need for bugle calls or a piper, and simple "we will nor observe two minutes of silence" will suffice.

    3. Lay two wreaths: one on behalf of the People of Canada or the community and one on behalf of the mothers and widows, even if none live in your community.

    4. A "dismissal" with a very brief thanks for participating.

The maximum, which is not much more complicated, is:

    1. A welcome and a formal salute for the appropriate distinguished personages ~ the GG and national Silver Cross Mother, here in Ottawa;

    2. Read the Act of Remembrance ~

          They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
          Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
          At the going down of the sun and in the morning
          We will remember them.

    3. Observe two minutes of silence - announced and ended with appropriate trumpet calls and featuring a piped lament;

    4. Laying of two official wreaths: on behalf of the People of Canada and the Mothers and Widows of the Dead;

    5. Laying a small number of secondary wreaths on behalf of a few specific organizations including the Government of Canada, the CF, major veterans' organizations and foreign governments; and
        (this is an appropriate place to recite or sing "In Flanders Fields"

      6. A solemn dismissal which may include a brief, all inclusive prayer or, preferably, a recitation of a few lines from Ecclesiasticus Chapter 44, which begins, "Let us now praise famous men ..."

          All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their times.
                                                        and
          Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.

The rest of the wreath layings and any parading or marching are done outside of the formal remembrance Day programme.

My  :2c:

 

[Canadian.Trucker]

This year in Wawa we were down to 3 of the old guard Vet's(WW2, Korea) but for the first time ever we had 5 Members still serving 3 of them members of the new guard Vets  (Yugo, Bosnia, Afghanistan.
As for the White Poppy I do believe any that showed would be dealt with quickly.

My Coy was on our way back from an FTX in the North and we were very close to stopping into Wawa to participate with the RCL pers for Remembrance Day.  Due to making our redeployment easier we ended up going to Blind River instead.

For all of the mis-steps and flaws in the ceremony it was very nice and very respectful.  We all thoroughly enjoyed being able to stop into a small town and observe Remembrance Day in a solemn way.  The Legion and the Town itself were extremely thankful for our presence and went out of their way to make us feel welcome.  It was very sad to see the empty seats reserved for WWII vets, but there were some in the crowd that I had the opportunity to talk with that didn't want to be up front and in the limelight and simply wished to quietly participate in the background during the ceremonies.

 

[WingsofFury]

I hope you don't mind me sharing some photos I took during the national ceremony in Ottawa.  It was the first time I had the chance to attend, and it was quite moving to see so many gathered.


IMG_8294 by Attila Papp Photography, on Flickr


IMG_8418 by Attila Papp Photography, on Flickr


IMG_8402 by Attila Papp Photography, on Flickr


IMG_8374 by Attila Papp Photography, on Flickr


IMG_8386 by Attila Papp Photography, on Flickr

 

[2ndChoiceName]

Those are some excellent photos you took. Really great.

 

[my72jeep]

Is it just me or is there something out of order with that US Lcol/Maj  uniform?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Is it just me or is there something out of order with that US Lcol/Maj  uniform?

Her dog has more medals than I do... which isn't saying much unless he's a K-9 Walt!  ;D

 

[x_para76]

Remembrance Day 2013 in Hamilton was better than usual. I only attended the garrison parade on the Sunday before as I had to be at work the following day. However, the parade was reasonably well done and all units had a good turn out. The only exception to this was my former PRes unit the A&SHofC paraded with colours and bayonets fixed for the second year in a row. Clearly a staunch warning from Brigade and the Vet's wasn't enough to deter the egomaniac who now commands this unit. That aside though the parade was basically well conducted and the master of ceremonies was concise and to the point (not the norm in years past). The parade was generally well attended by the public and veterans alike.

 

[Rifleman62]

Attended a Veteran's Day ceremony in the US this year. Approximately 300 from the community attended. A Lt Col from Luke AFB was the guest speaker.

The MC asked all the Vets to stand up by branch and the branch melody was then played.

Surprised to hear the MC state that we must not forget our friends to the north, and ask for Canadian Vets to stand. Big applause.

 

[Danjanou]

Is it just me or is there something out of order with that US Lcol/Maj  uniform?

Poppy on the wrong side and the angle of the pic makes it look like she has no tie on, otherwise looks ok.

 

[my72jeep]

Poppy on the wrong side and the angle of the pic makes it look like she has no tie on, otherwise looks ok.

Your right I did some research as I'm no too familiar with dress blues. some of the badges looked out of place.

 

[Remius]

Poppy on the wrong side and the angle of the pic makes it look like she has no tie on, otherwise looks ok.

Well maybe on the wrong side of our uniform.  Perhaps the americans have a dress reg for wearing foreign countries poppies?

 

[Privateer]

Poppy on the wrong side and the angle of the pic makes it look like she has no tie on, otherwise looks ok.

I believe that she is wearing what are referred to as "neck tabs", in lieu of tie.

 

[Lightguns]

I doubt the USA has any regs on poppy placement. So she gets a pass.

 

[Danjanou]

I believe that she is wearing what are referred to as "neck tabs", in lieu of tie.

Thanks couldn't remember what they were called.

I doubt the USA has any regs on poppy placement. So she gets a pass.

like 90% of the population of the country then  ;D ah well at least she's wearing one

 

[Edward Campbell]

We don't seem to have a standing Remembrance Day page ~ it's possible I didn't search well enough ~ but rather than start a new one for 2015 I'll just tag on to this one ...

It's Remembrance Sunday, today, in Britain and around the world ...

... it's a custom I believe we should adopt, rather than having a selective holiday on November 11th so that most civil servants and bank clerks and a few others can have a day off for pre-Christmas shopping.

Soldiers (sailors and RCAF members, too) and school children should 'parade' (again) on 11 Nov for a very  brief ceremony ~ Remembrance for the people in uniform, a "teaching moment" for the students.

 

[daftandbarmy]

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

 

[mariomike]

... it's a custom I believe we should adopt, rather than having a selective holiday on November 11th so that most civil servants and bank clerks and a few others can have a day off for pre-Christmas shopping.

Soldiers (sailors and RCAF members, too) and school children should 'parade' (again) on 11 Nov for a very  brief ceremony ~ Remembrance for the people in uniform, a "teaching moment" for the students.

Milnet did a poll: "Remembrance Day should be a National Holiday?" Of the members who participated, 63.9% voted yes.

Remembrance Day: National holiday?/"Veterans' Day"? (merged)
http://army.ca/forums/threads/22329.75
9 pages.

Remembrance Day was a Statutory Holiday where I worked. But, it was not a day off. We were mandated to report to our stations.
November 11 paid 12-hours at triple time. Didn't matter if your platoon was on the day or night shift.

Our department sends the Chief's Ceremonial Unit ( aka Honour Guard ) to Old City Hall on November 11th.

One thing I do this time of year when walking around my neighborhood, is to remember this map,

"Grief’s geography: Mapping 6,160 Torontonians killed in three wars"
http://globalnews.ca/news/932833/griefs-geography-mapping-torontonians-killed-three-wars/