{"id":41808,"date":"2020-11-11T15:06:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T23:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=41808"},"modified":"2020-11-11T17:36:30","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T01:36:30","slug":"lest-we-forget-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/11\/11\/lest-we-forget-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Lest We Forget 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

My grandfather was in the Royal Canadian Army during WWI while he was in his mid to late twenties.\u00a0 Because of a medical condition, he was not sent overseas but he never-the-less served in Canada in a support role.\u00a0 For years, I had his old army sleeping bag across the end of my bed and cherished it.\u00a0 Near the end of WWII, my father lied about his age just a little and joined the Royal Canadian Navy serving as a radioman aboard the Prince Robert.\u00a0 The Prince Robert, according to my father, went in and out of Tokyo harbour and others picking up Allied POWs and probably laying mines, although he wasn’t as clear about that.\u00a0 His sister, my favourite auntie, joined the Women’s RCN Service aka WRCNS OR WRENS, as an occupational therapist.\u00a0 My stepfather enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army and became a paratrooper dropping into Belgium, Holland and northern France during the liberation.\u00a0 Like so many, none of my relatives talked much about their wartime experiences.\u00a0 There was no glory!\u00a0 There was duty! When I enquired during high school about joining the military, I was told at the time that I could not because I was a woman.\u00a0 But one thing I could do was to show up at the Cenotaph and give thanks for the dedication of those who served and those who died during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean Conflict.\u00a0 For me, it was a very personal journey, a sacred journey, because I reasoned, even as a young teen, that someone else had fought or died rather than a member of my family.\u00a0 For their sacrifice, I owed them a debt of gratitude.\u00a0 You can see some of my previous Remembrance Day posts at https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/2017\/11\/11\/in-remembrance-in-flanders-fields\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/2012\/11\/11\/lest-we-forget\/<\/a> <\/strong>with additional pictures.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Because of COVID-19, 2020 is very different but but no less poignant.\u00a0 As noted by the Vancouver Sun<\/a><\/strong>,<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Many city officials, as well as B.C.\u2019s premier, asked folks to stay home given the severity of COVID-19 situation in B.C., especially in the Fraser and Coastal health regions.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

I should also note that front-line workers, doctors, nurses and other medical staff were remembered as well for their service to the community during 2020’s war, the Coronavirus pandemic.\u00a0 This also involved Canadian Armed Forces medical personnel playing a big role in Qu\u00e9bec and Ontario in nursing homes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Well, I did just that, and as usual, tears flowed down my cheeks.\u00a0 Here is a video of Vancouver’s Remembrance Service.<\/span><\/p>\r\n