This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, a major offensive by Allied Forces that became synonymous with the carnage of the First World War.
From July 1 to Nov. 18, Canadian troops battled from trench to trench in the face of heavy fire. More than 24,000 were killed, wounded or went missing in a series of engagements that saw the Allies suffer more than 650,000 casualties.
It must have seemed senseless; in the end the battle lines moved only about 10 kilometres. Still, the Canadians did their duty, cementing a reputation for courage under fire that would serve the cause of freedom well in many battles to come.
Perhaps the most significant of these took place just five months later, at Vimy Ridge. Historians and political leaders alike have argued that this battle was the place where Canada truly became a nation.
Remembering the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers who served at the Somme, at Vimy Ridge, and a thousand other battlefields around the globe is a duty we are proud to accept.
Unfortunately, and despite our best intentions, it seems that our knowledge of military history is waning. According to a recent poll by the Vimy Foundation, only 28 per cent of us were able to correctly identify 2017 as the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
When presented with a photo of the Vimy Memorial in France, just 12 per cent could identify it, despite the fact that many of us carry a picture of it with us every day. It has been depicted on the $20 bill since 2012.
As the years go by, fewer and fewer veterans remain with us to help us understand the nature of conflict and the sacrifices made by our servicemen and -women.
This is why it has never been so important for us to support organizations like the Royal Canadian Legion.
In addition to serving our veterans, they work with our schools to bring a different perspective to students. They have the ability to go beyond the impersonal dates and statistics to spark children's imaginations, helping them to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be Canadian. They can tell stories.
It has been said that in the trenches of the First World War, soldiers would read Psalm 91, also known as the Soldier's Prayer. It became a sort of sacred oath they recited daily. Here is just a part of it:
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
There is no doubt that the soldiers who fought for our country, in the cause of freedom, faced horrors beyond our reckoning. It was only by their courage and by their sacrifice that these horrors did not come near us. For that, we can never thank them enough.
Let our prayer and our sacred oath be simply this: We will remember them.
When presented with a photo of the Vimy Memorial in France, just 12 per cent could identify it, despite the fact that many of us carry a picture of it with us every day. It has been depicted on the $20 bill since 2012.
