Thursday, November 11, 2010

REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONIES 2010

I attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School today as the Guest Speaker. It was an amazing experience; 1500 students, staff and honoured guests. The gym was packed. I am very glad that I went to speak with the students last week to gain an appreciation of what it is they feel about Remembrance Day and its relevancy in today's world. When I initially asked the question, what to you think of when you remember…and, why do you remember…to my surprise the answer was, 'its too difficult a question to answer!'. So I decided that I would help them find a small part of their answer. I focused on the journey of the injured soldier.

There is no Highway of Heroes for the injured soldier. There is no ticker tape parade celebrating their return. No on really knows who these people are or how they are doing? Its like the injured are hidden away from the public eye, never to be seen again. While this is not entirely true, we rarely remember the injured because we rarely see them. I secretly wish that someday we will see injured soldiers in uniform in the main street parades atop military pattern vehicles specially draped with wound stripes or some other sort of insignia denoting those that have survived serious injury and sitting atop this vehicle. Its a way for the faces of injured to come forward. Its a way for the injured to be integrated and welcomed back into their units. Its all about INCLUSION.

I believe that the definition of the ultimate sacrifice needs to be broadened somewhat. I believe that the definition should include the sacrifices of the injured. When a soldier loses an arm, leg, both or all four limbs, or with a traumatic brain injury - these are parts of their bodies that are never coming back. Is this not part of the ultimate sacrifice?

I remember because I can. I remember because I do not want any injured soldier to feel that they have been forgotten and that their sacrifices have gone unnoticed or even worse, forgotten. I have decided that I will take notice and I will remember them. I am still on active duty because I decided that I am STILL FIT TO FIGHT for my country.