We still hold to the tradition of November
11th as Remembrance Day, even
though there are no longer any living Canadian veterans from WW1: the war to end all war that ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11th month in 1918. Within a couple more
decades, we will bid farewell to the final veterans of WW2 who (for people of
my generation), have been the faces of Remembrance Day); and within the
lifetimes of my children, there will be no more people to share direct stories
of the Korean War: the third and final 20th century war that are often commemorated on our cenotaphs.
We do have modern veterans of the
post-9/11 Afghanistan War and others who have faced armed conflicts through UN
and NATO deployments. These women and men will
be the continuing faces of Remembrance Day for new generations, but we are
witnessing a significant change in the nature November 11th… and I
think I know why:
Most of the veterans of WW1 and WW2 were
not soldiers by trade - they were wartime volunteers (and a few reluctant
conscripts from 1917 and 1944). After the wars, few of
them remained in the armed forces.
Modern veterans are ‘career soldiers’ many
of whom choose this vocation in peace-time.
I do not presume to rank the value of the
war-time temporary soldier versus the peace-time career soldier, I just note
that there is a difference.
As the WW2 generation ages, we have
witnessed our Royal Canadian Legions winding down. It is sad to see, but it
makes sense: the legions were built on the desires of the temporary soldiers to
maintain the best of the comradery (which they had experienced in war) after
they came home and moved on with their lives. For the modern military,
those supports are built into the career. A relatively small
percentage of modern military personnel feel drawn to Legion activity. This type of soldier has
different needs for comradery.
Lest we forget. Even if we remember in a new way.
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