Thousands of veterans, military personnel and their supporters gather at Canada’s National War Memorial in Ottawa to remember those who died fighting to protect this country and its freedoms.
Monday’s gray and gloomy weather conditions and the threat of rain brought many Canadians, some from far away, to the nation’s capital to honor the men and women who defended Canada in times of disaster. The crowd was so eager to come that it did little to dampen it. 118,000 Canadians who died in war and peace and in service to this country.
The ceremony comes at a time of uncertainty for the world, with conflict still raging in Ukraine as Russia continues to attack its neighbor with drones, missiles and bombs.
Approximately 1,900 Canadian troops are being sent to Latvia to train Ukrainian soldiers as part of Operation Reassurance, Canada’s largest international military operation.
The Middle East is teetering on the brink of wider conflict as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The government is also moving ahead with plans to increase military spending to ultimately meet NATO’s spending target of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2032. US President-elect Donald Trump is urging allies to spend more and faster.
It is against this backdrop that Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Gen. Jenny Carignan has called for more Canadians to join the military. “Recruiting volunteers is very important,” she said in an interview between services. “That’s our top priority.”
historic milestone
This year marks a significant anniversary for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It’s the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 1944, when Canadians landed at Juno Beach to fight the Nazis in the largest naval invasion in history.
Canadian sailors, soldiers and airmen played a vital role in the Battle of Normandy, a pivotal turning point in World War II and the campaign to liberate Western Europe from Adolf Hitler’s forces. This came at a heavy cost, with over 18,700 Canadians killed.
Veterans Affairs Canada estimates that of the more than one million Canadians who served in the conflicts of World War II and the Korean War, approximately 7,300 Canadian veterans are still alive.
It also marks 10 years since Canada’s mission in Afghanistan ended, a conflict in which some 40,000 military personnel joined the international coalition to destroy the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban regime. 165 Canadians (158 soldiers and 7 civilians) died in the war. Some returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a sometimes harsh campaign against Islamic fundamentalists.
This year’s National Silver Cross mother, Maureen Anderson of Oromocto, No. 3, lost two of her sons after serving in Afghanistan. She laid flowers on behalf of all Canadian families who lost children during military service.
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION: CBC’s Rosemary Barton hosts special coverage of the national memorial service in Ottawa. Closed captioning is available for this stream.
The day also marks the 60th anniversary of the start of Canada’s peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, which involved thousands of people to quell the crisis in the Mediterranean.
The day isn’t just about commemorating past military service; Monday’s ceremony paid tribute to the 4,385 Canadian Armed Forces fallen in action. currently deployed.
