*this story is something I wrote last year but wanted to share. Lest we forget.
Quiet tears stained the faces of people at the Remembrance Day ceremony at Bruce Park on Portage Avenue yesterday.
As the parade of service men and women, family members of fallen solders and Girl Guides and Scouts of Canada made their way onto the grounds from Portage Avenue not a sound came from the crowd except the cries of a young child.
The service began with the singing of ‘O Canada’, and the flag that began resting at half-mast slowly made its way to the top.
The crowd this year was bigger than Muriel Barton has seen in awhile.
“We usually get over 1,000 people, but today because of the beautiful weather there was more,” said Barton, who has been involved with the St. James Legion branch number four for over 25 years. “I handed out around 700 programs, on top of the 700 my husband Bruce handed out, and there was still a lot of people that didn’t have one.”
After the opening prayer by chaplain Captain Gordon Mintz, Major Brian Slous read a somber thank-you to the veterans of the First and Second World Wars and a heartfelt message to the men and women serving in Afghanistan.
As the Canadian flag once again descended to half-mast during the Last Post, a young boy holding a portrait of a family member killed in Afghanistan buried his face into the arms of his silent family.
At 11 a.m. for two minutes not a word was spoken as the crowd silently thanked the men and women who put their lives on the line so that Canadians would never have to experience war at home.
Near the end of the ceremony, wreaths were placed on the war memorial that read, ‘Their names live on forever’. MP Pat Martin, representing the Government of Canada, laid a wreath in memory for all those who sacrificed their lives. MLA Bonnie Korzeniowski laid a wreath for the province, and Councilor Scott Fielding presented one for the city.
With the sun shinning bright, the solders gave their final salute and began the parade down Portage Avenue.
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