Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is a sacred one to my family. I can probably count on two hands the number of times I have made it to church for Christmas, but I have always made it to a Remembrance Day Ceremony. It does come, in large part, from belonging to a family with a military history.

The largest figure in that history was our Grandfather. As a WWII vet, our Grandfather was our hero. For many years my sister and I stood next to the cenotaph in Whycocomagh for Remembrance Day. It was cold, especially as you stood by the water as the wind blew up our kilts, but it seemed such a small price to pay when we looked in to the faces of the veterans on parade. 

Our grandfather was haunted by the memories war. He did not freely share stories but when he did it was worth the listen. In 1986, he was interviewed for the local paper, The Oran, about the WWII for a piece about Remembrance Day. His words there resonated with me. It made an impact on both of us that we hope will never fade. He spoke of holding no ill will towards the German Soldiers. He said they had their orders and did what they were trained to do. Like him, they were part of what he called the machine of war.

To be clear, when we talk about him forgiving the German Soldiers it was not that he was sympathetic to Nazi views. He was willing to give his life and watched his friends give their lives to fight against their views. What we are trying to point out is the horror of war and that even after experiencing that, people were able to hold on to their humanity to ensure we never experience it again.

Our grandfather’s statements in the article were very much a reflection of him. From watching and admiring him, we learned not to forget but to move passed our differences. We also learned that no matter how different you are, at the core is humanity. This is a lesson that in our globalized world we could all stand to remember.

Therefore, as we observe this Remembrance Day, marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, I hope we can all take time to reflect on the importance of understanding that beyond all our differences we are all part of the human race.

November 1986