Archive for September, 2009

A Union Jack snaps in the breeze on a sunny, but chilly November morning. It’s hoisted high on the Quebec City cliff where the St. Lawrence River narrows. Dignitaries have gathered in the Jardin des Gouverneurs near the Chateau St. Louis, the fortress quarters for governors of New France and British North America dating back more than two centuries to Champlain. It is 1827 and the officials are there to lay the cornerstone for the monument to General James Wolfe and Marquis Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. At the ceremony, dressed in full regalia befitting such an important occasion, are top officers [...]

Every teacher since Plato has probably heard the same complaint more than once: “History is nothing but a bunch of boring names and dates!” For a number of Canadian students, however, our country’s military history has become so much more than that, thanks to the efforts of veterans, high school teachers, professors and other adults interested in ensuring that our soldiers’ efforts are not forgotten. In November 2008, for instance, some 1,400 high school students and 200 teachers from across Canada visited Ortona, a strategic port on Italy’s east coast where Canadians fought a brutal battle in 1943 (Into Ortona Then And [...]

Looking To The Future In Winnipeg Standing under the shadow of Golden Boy, the famed statue on top of the Manitoba Legislature Building, Manitoba–Northwestern Ontario Command President Roland Fisette said, “This parade is only a rehearsal for next year.” The parade he was referring to was the one that would open the 44th Manitoba– Northwestern Ontario Command convention held June 14-16 in Winnipeg. Next year referred to the parade which will kick off the 43rd dominion convention when it is held in Winnipeg in 2010. And so it was with an eye on the future that the command met in the historic Marlborough [...]

The theme for the September/October Readers’ Quiz was simply the Second World War. Here are the answers to the quiz that appeared on page 89 of the magazine. The Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. The Mid-Ocean Escort Force, which protected convoys between Newfoundland and Northern Ireland.  It was designed to shorten convoy routes, allow ships access to better facilities, and shift escorts from the mid-Atlantic to the North American coast. Helena, Montana.  This unit, under a U.S. commander, was a paratroop-trained commando force. The Tribal class.  Four of these destroyers served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the war; four more [...]

In an issue that focuses on Canadian youth and explores our role in teaching and encouraging them to understand military history and remembrance, it is important to acknowledge that in some countries, veterans include the very young. Those kids carry the burden of war both as victim and perpetrator, and Canadian photographer Robert Semeniuk has witnessed that cost first-hand. His powerful images rank with some of the most affecting war art of our time. There is an odd similarity in the faces of his young subjects; a stillness, and that want of emotion, combined with such gritty subject matter, is [...]

The Royal Canadian Legion is reaching out to modern veterans, military members and families through a new partnership with Directorate Military Family Services (DMFS). Though the two organizations have always been friendly, the Legion and DMFS are now solidifying their relationship and encouraging collaboration, information sharing and new partnerships at the local and national levels. “We feel that it is a necessity to come together,” says Pierre Allard, director of the Dominion Command Service Bureau. “We see how military family service organizations are transforming, and we want to make sure the Legion is part of that evolution.” Partnerships between local Legion branches and [...]

Alberta Looks To Military Families After years of shrinking membership and tighter budgets, of downsizing and changing structure, Alberta–Northwest Territories Command intends to move forward by building membership—focusing on members of Canada’s Armed Forces and their families. Canadian Forces personnel are aware of the Legion’s staunch support, thanks to the RCL Troop Morale Fund, Christmas gifts for deployed troops, support for the Nijmegen Marches, the Canadian Navy’s centennial celebrations and provision of folding chairs to troops in Kandahar, Dominion Command Vice-President Paulette Cook said in her opening remarks to the 46th Alberta–Northwest Territories Command convention June 7-10 in Camrose. But “attitudes have changed” [...]

In June, Blair Moro, 16, of Surrey, B.C., and Solange Saulnier, 17, of Haut-Rivière-du-Portage, N.B., represented the youth of Canada on the Veterans Affairs Canada pilgrimage marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day. The journey and the connect­ions they made with veterans were life-changing experiences for the two Youth Ambassadors from the Encounters with Canada program. Addy’s Story by Blair Moro Travelling to France and attending the 65th anniversary of D-Day was an experience of a lifetime. It was a journey that not only affected me, but many other people. Being with the war veterans was very educational; they told many stories about [...]

For the many, many thousands of Canadian students who plan, create and submit their works of remembrance to The Royal Canadian Legion’s literary and poster contests, winning a national prize can seem so, so far away. Before the national prize is ever awarded, there is the branch competition to win, oftentimes the zone, then the district and then the provincial command. But yet, in some cases, such as Natalie Lloyd of Waterloo, Ont., or in the case of April McInnes of Glenburnie, Ont., victory against these long odds comes not just once, but twice. These two young women join a whole host [...]

Membership Still A Challenge On The Island Rolling west along Highway 2 well beyond Charlottetown, you follow a twisty highway past postcard villages framed by narrow rivers, green fields and swaths of rich, red farmland. “This is good potato country,” says Jim Ross, first vice-president of Prince Edward Island Command. “It’s a busy time for the farmers.” It’s a busy time for Legionnaires as well. Ross is heading to Summerside for Prince Edward Island Command’s 60th convention hosted by George Pearkes VC Branch. While scanning the road ahead of his pickup truck, Ross talks about his time in the Legion, the friends [...]