Residents were urged to not forget the sacrifices made on their behalf by the men and women who have served this country in times of war and of peace, at a shortened indoor ceremony held for Remembrance Day on Wednesday by the Weyburn branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The ceremonies were broadcast by AccessNow and livestreamed on Facebook for people to watch, as the public was not allowed in to take part in the service in the upper Legion Hall.
Yvonne Jones, who represented MP Dr. Robert Kitchen, spoke of the sacrifices made by men and women who served in times of war, even though they all had lives and occupations.
“They all had one thing in common, a willingness to serve, even in the face of probable injury or death. They endured,” she said, adding many of these soldiers came home with challenges, and the Royal Canadian Legion was founded in 1925 to help veterans meet those challenges.
Jones also noted that the willingness to serve continues to exist today with men and women serving in a peacekeeping role, “and sometimes they still sacrifice their lives doing their job.”
She pointed out with the challenges we are all facing this year, the Legions are also feeling that challenge, and “it falls to us as citizens to support them. By sustaining them, we continue to show our respect and offer our help to veterans who were prepared to sacrifice for us.”
Jones shared an experience as a young girl visiting a Canadian war memorial in Singapore, at the base of hills and surrounded by lush jungle.
“Even as a youngster I knew respect and reverence of that place,” she said, noting there were 199 Canadian soldiers’ names inscribed on that memorial. Only three bodies were buried nearby, with the others buried far away, or else their bodies were lost. “They were not forgotten, nor should they be. They answered the call, and we should not forget them.”
MLA Dustin Duncan brought greetings from the provincial government, and noted while people were watching the ceremonies from a safe distance, “the distance of time will never be so great as to allow us to forget the sacrifice made by so many men and women who went to war to liberate the world from tyranny.”
“Freedom is never free, it comes at a great cost. This is a day to remind ourselves what sacrifice really means,” said Duncan, noting that the word sacrifice means the act of giving something, or someone, of value for the sake of something or someone of greater value.
“We too live in uncertain times. I think it’s appropriate to think of the word sacrifice on this Remembrance Day, and for each of us to ask ourselves, do I respect and support others as more important or more worthy than myself? Lest we forget,” he added.
Mayor Marcel Roy noted that in the First World War, 66,000 Canadians died, coming from a very young nation, but in spite of this disadvantage of being small, Canada did not back down from their responsibilities or from sacrifice.
The mayor said younger generations may not be able to fully grasp the level of sacrifice that was made so they could have freedom, but older people can take the time to share with them stories of the efforts made to secure peace and freedom.
“Our youth can understand our veterans gave up their tomorrows so we could have today,” he said, adding we say thank you to the heroes “for all of your sacrifices.”
Capt. Rob Williams of the Royal Regina Rifles also spoke, and pointed out that their unit took part in many of the important battles of the First World War, such as Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, and in the D-Day landing at Juno Beach in the Second World War.
More recently, members have also fought in Afghanistan, Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia and Ukraine, and members today stand ready to go anywhere in Canada or in the world where they are needed, said Capt. Williams.
Of the Juno Beach landing, he pointed out that the unit from Saskatchewan “made it farther inland than any other unit from any other country.”
A resident of Weyburn for the past three years, he said, “What impressed me most about Saskatchewan is a lot of these members are also members of their community. They continue to commit to their community throughout the years. We shall not forget them.”
Legion president Tara Neuberger ended the ceremonies with comments about some of those hard-won freedoms, such as the freedom of choice and freedom of speech.
“When we exercise those freedoms that we have, there’s also a responsibility,” she said. “I encourage you when you exercise that freedom of choice, make it an intelligent and informed choice. Don’t just make that choice for you. The choice you make can affect those around you, your loved ones, your co-workers, your neighbours, the entire world can be changed or affected by your choice.”
As for the freedom of speech, she said, “words are strong. Use your words thoughtfully, use them carefully, and without judgement.”
As the ceremonies were held inside, the wreaths bought by individuals, families and businesses were set up in front of the stage of the hall, and Legion representative Jerry Ponto read off the list of everyone who bought a wreath in support of the Legion’s Poppy Fund.
