The gym in the Ralph Klein Centre was virtually full as Olds and district residents gathered for Remembrance Day ceremonies Tuesday.
Padre Harold Hunter, the MC for the service, set the tone for the gathering with his opening remarks, making reference to Oct. 20 and 22 when two members of the Canadian military, were killed by Canadians sympathetic to Islamic extremists.
Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed when he was run down by a car in a parking lot in a Montreal suburb. Another Armed Forces member was injured. Two days later, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was shot to death while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
“All of a sudden, ‘we stand on guard for thee' takes on just a little more significance than it might,” Hunter said. “As we sing our national anthem today, let's do it with pride and purpose as the band leads us.”
During his opening prayer, Hunter read a poem by a young girl. It urged people to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
“We are forever in debt,” the poem concluded.
“In debt we are, oh God, for the price thousands have paid for our freedom,” Hunter said.
“We remember the fallen soldiers, peace officers.
“We remember those who mourn today for those who went (to war) and didn't return.
“We remember those whose lives are, in this moment, in dangerous places on guard for us.
“Let us not forget our veterans – aged, and always thankful for the contribution they could make.
“As we remember today, give peace in our hearts, peace in our world. Change the attitudes of those who would abuse us and guide us all – as we do all weekend – to keep our nation strong and free.
“We stand in need of Your help.”
Padre Charles Johnston read from two pieces of scripture. The first was Psalm 121, which he said is also known as the ‘soldiers' psalm.'
It reads in part, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.”
The second reading was from the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 5, also known as the Sermon on the Mount.
It reads in part:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”
During his address to the crowd, Padre Johnston noted his grandfather wasn't able to be there when his son (Johnston's father) was born in 1916 because he was fighting in Europe during the First World War.
“Missing the birth of a child is one thing, but missing that important family moment because you're on the other side of the Atlantic in the trenches, risking your life defending your nation's freedom, that's something else,” Johnston said.
“My grandfather didn't get home to St. John to meet his son until almost three years later – May, 1919.”
“We are gathered today to honour the sacrifice made by our fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers who answered the call to serve our country in time of war,” Johnston said.
“We remember especially those who died; those who made the supreme sacrifice; in World War 1 and World War II; in the Korean War and in the Afghanistan war.
“And recent events in Ottawa and Quebec are painful reminders that those who serve in our armed forces are still in peril, even on home soil. So we remember Warrant Officer Vincent and Cpl. Cirillo in this special way and pray for them and their families and friends,” he added.
Johnston quoted from a piece published by the Globe and Mail.
In that piece, the reporter says until now, Remembrance Day has been an effort to pay homage to people killed in the dim and distant past. But the deaths of Cpl. Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent changed all that; making death and war all too real for Canadians.
“It is vitally important that we never forget to honour the unknown soldier and his 18,000 comrades whose graves were unmarked; whose bodies were never identified. Their sacrifices recalled by the simple words, ‘missing and presumed dead,'” Johnston said.
“They, along with the thousands whose names are inscribed on tombs and memorials across our country challenge us all to continue these ceremonies – in wartime and in peacetime. To honour them and to remind ourselves that not one of them died in vain. Each one of them helped to preserve our freedom.”
He said he chose the Sermon on the Mount as one of the scripture readings for a couple of reasons. For one, he was asked by the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan to read it during his funeral. Secondly,
“But mostly I selected it because I believe these words from Jesus' sermon on the mount speak to the hearts of all human beings and give us an inspiration for our lives,” Johnston said.
“We are all blessed if we can think of others first, as our veterans did, and offer ourselves in service to those in need,” he added.
“The words of scripture and the actions of the brave men and women we honour today have the power to inspire us all.
“For us it is important that we not only remember the names, but that we tell their stories – to our children – to our grandchildren.
“We know that there is a cost, and not simply of lives lost. And so we honour those who served and those who died for us and for Canada.”
