Survey on Future Remembrance Ceremonies

[dangerboy]

Veteran Affairs Canada is looking for input on how we conduct Remembrance Day. They have a survey asking questions as they want to change the traditional service. Here is a link to the survey, please provide your vital input.

The future of remembrance in Canada

 

[Kilted]

Not everything needs to be changed for the sake of being changed.

 

[dangerboy]

Not everything needs to be changed for the sake of being changed.

I agree and it sounds like they want to combine Remembrance Day, which is to honour the fallen with Armed Forces Day whose purpose is to honour those serving, and throw in Peacekeeping Day.

 

[stoker dave]

Thanks, dangerboy. I think this survey is important. Please share widely.

 

[Remius]

I filled out the survey. In particular about the Cold War service.

 

[Infanteer]

Good pick up DB. I submitted my response.

1. Remembrance Day isn't about Veterans, its about those who were killed in the service of their country, so don't make it about veterans. It doesn't need to be about those who served in Germany or those who were on a Peacekeeping Mission because that's not the point of le jour du souvenir.
2. Too many wreaths - the Legion's tired old programme takes so long because every Shriner, MLA, and great-grand-niece of some Veteran has to go lay a wreath. Put two or three up by suitable representatives and leave it at that. I feel like 75% of my time at a Remembrance Day ceremony is watching random people go put a wreath up on a cenotaph.

 

[dapaterson]

Were you looking over my shoulder?

 

[Infanteer]

Yes, do you see me? Creepy, eh!

 

[dapaterson]

My closing comment of "Cut the VAC commemoration budget and put the money into solving the claims backlog" will not make me many friends in Charlottetown...

 

[SeaKingTacco]

I missed commenting on ”wreathapolluza”, but did forcefully make the point it is about the dead, not the living.

 

[Underway]

I missed commenting on ”wreathapolluza”, but did forcefully make the point it is about the dead, not the living.

But, but but... I want to flagellate myself in front of the masses to virtue signal my support to the cause.

 

[mariomike]

Remembrance Day isn't about Veterans, its about those who were killed in the service of their country, so don't make it about veterans.

That is the way it was taught to us in public school in the 1960's.

Back then, Canada still had many, many, Silver Cross Mothers.

Grief’s geography: Mapping 6,160 Torontonians killed in three wars - Toronto | Globalnews.ca

Using data from card files and archives, Global News plotted Torontonian war casualties from World War One, World War Two and the Korean war.

globalnews.ca

I remember my grandmother wore her Silver Cross to church. And she was younger than I am now.

They have a survey asking questions as they want to change the traditional service.

Good luck with that.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Good pick up DB. I submitted my response.

1. Remembrance Day isn't about Veterans, its about those who were killed in the service of their country, so don't make it about veterans. It doesn't need to be about those who served in Germany or those who were on a Peacekeeping Mission because that's not the point of le jour du souvenir.
2. Too many wreaths - the Legion's tired old programme takes so long because every Shriner, MLA, and great-grand-niece of some Veteran has to go lay a wreath. Put two or three up by suitable representatives and leave it at that. I feel like 75% of my time at a Remembrance Day ceremony is watching random people go put a wreath up on a cenotaph.

I continue to rail against the self-promotional behaviour of some groups on Remembrance Day, who tend to use the piles of dead (mostly) Infantry from (mainly) WW1 as a pulpit.

 

[kratz]

I found about one-third of the questions were leading in one direction.

After the non-political answers to the RCN's rank change survey, I'm surprised VAC opted to bother with a survey if they already have their mind made up.

 

[Good2Golf]

Yup, keep them separate.

I think the focus of Remembrance Day should remain to remember those killed or injured in service (to include those lost to suicide from PTSD from service). There is already a separate day for appreciation of serving and past serving CAF members, and to revise Remembrance Day to include living current and past service members would be to dilute the important message of November 11 - it is to remember past sacrifice, not to try and make ourselves feels good about what the CAF did, or does throughout the spectrum of operations today.

 

[dangerboy]

I think you are correct that they already have a plan and shaped the survey to try and get the answers they want to support their idea.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

added my two cents:

I have served in Afghanistan on Combat Operations, I have served in the Sinai on Peace Support operations, I served as in support of humanitarian efforts in Lebanon, and I served in Eastern Europe as part of the NATO Assurance efforts against Russia. I have a good breadth of experience when I say this:

Please for the love of god stick to honouring our war dead. Peacekeeping is a noble effort. NATO deterrence missions and the warm and fuzzy things we do around the world and at home are of note, however, use Peacekeeper's Day and Armed Forces Day to highlight those efforts. Remembrance Day is solemn and commemorates the loss of life in conflicts by those called to the service of their nation. I have buried friends and comrades who have died in Afghanistan; I would be livid if they turned the focus of Remembrance Day annually to highlight Op DANACA 1973-? because it was "their turn"

 

[Underway]

I have two opinions or takes on Remembrance Day that is perhaps different from others. I tried to make them clear in the survey.

1) Remembrance day isn't necessarily about the dead. It's about sacrifice. Actually, the dead's sacrifice may have been the easiest in many cases. Sacrifice comes from the families who have to go on. The kids with no parent. The wounded in mind and body who are still suffering, and the families who bear the financial, mental, and physical strain of caring for them or in many cases can't, thus destroying that family. The mental damage to the kids with a parent in a war zone. Focus on the sacrifice.

2) Remembrance Day is about taking responsibility for your decisions. It's no surprise that people run away from responsibility. It's always happened and it always will. When a government takes the hard decision to send troops into harm's way, they are making that decision on behalf of the voters. The voters, in a democracy, are essentially responsible for that decision. This means the people of Canada are responsible for the results of sending troops into harm's way. We asked our fellow Canadians to do something for us. We need to acknowledge that.

Remembrance Day is the only day of the year, we Canadians, collectively take responsibility for our decisions. We acknowledge and recognize that in an act of mourning. Who takes responsibility for the dead and the suffering? We do. All of us.

 

[mariomike]

I think the focus of Remembrance Day should remain to remember those killed or injured in service (to include those lost to suicide from PTSD from service).

Remembrance day isn't necessarily about the dead.

Is that what they are teaching in school now?

From what I recall as a school-boy ( long ago ) it was pretty simple. To remember CAF members who died in war.

 

[dimsum]

I basically said "copy what the Aussies and Kiwis do for communication efforts for ANZAC Day". Obviously we don't need to copy the services, but ANZAC Day is firmly ingrained in their national psyches.