Archive for September, 2009

Out in the wilds of Kandahar province, the average Canadian infantryman looks at a bomb disposal expert the same way most people look at motorcycle racers or surfers who swim with sharks—it’s a narrow-eyed sideways glance, full of frank appraisal and containing one central question: is the guy crazy? Who in their right mind would want to creep up on live explosives and disarm them? It’s a good question. But still, somebody has to do the job. And while sneaking up on bombs is not a game for the faint-hearted, walking serenely into a cloud of chemical weapons, or towards a live [...]

It’s time for students to hit the books again, and in keeping with that and our special section, Focus On Youth, we asked students to answer a key question: Why is it important for youth to learn Canadian military history? Shawn Claire,   Victoria, B.C. “Military history is a critical aspect of any country’s foundation and Canada is no exception. The youth of Canada live and breathe Canada’s past, present and future, and those who have put their lives on the line for our country did so for the unborn children of the next generation. The luxuries and privileges we enjoy stem not only [...]

The solemn beauty of the Last Post National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Que., where privates and high-ranking officers lie side by side in dignified, uniform graves was officially recognized June 21 as a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The unveiling of a plaque by the board took place during the annual commemoration ceremony held each June in the cemetery adjacent to the Lakeview Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Pointe-Claire, just west of Montreal. More than 1,500 people showed up for the ceremony which not only included the designation but also marked another milestone—the 100th anniversary [...]

It was a proud moment earlier this year when the Field of Honour at Pointe-Claire, Que., was declared a National Historic Site. And it was an equally proud moment for the 100-year-old Last Post Fund, a charity that administers the site, and continues to hold strongly to the conviction that no veteran whose death occurred while in financial need should ever go without a proper and dignified funeral and burial. Since 1922, the Canadian government has given grants to the Last Post Fund, and in subsequent years the fund’s regulations and those of the government’s Veterans Burial Regulations became so similar [...]

Much of the best-known poetry dealing with themes of war and remembrance has been written by men and women who fought in the battlefields or helped the wounded or dying in makeshift military hospitals. What is also noteworthy is that generations of young Canadians who have never experienced battle have grown up thinking about ways in which to express their thoughts and feelings on those same themes. And they have done this at home and in school. Each year, The Royal Canadian Legion invites schoolchildren to put their literary and visual arts skills to the test by participating in nationwide contests [...]