Dear editor,
I was deeply touched by the Legion’s annual sponsorship of the Remembrance Day service, here in Jasper on Nov. 11, 2016. It was gratifying to be part of the standing room only turnout, to hear the speeches, see wreath presentations, and enjoy the music provided by Nelda Wright and our fine young musicians in the school band. Of course, the main event was to remember our fallen soldiers and to pay tribute to the war veterans present.
I am old enough to remember meeting and listening to veterans of the Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean and Afghanistan battles. My dad, Jack Home, served in the First World War until he was seriously wounded in Courcellette, France, on Sept. 26, 1916. Fortunately for me, I’ve talked to the soldiers from both sides. They suffered through and managed to survive horrible, brutal experiences, which they rarely spoke about–except briefly on Remembrance Day when dad and some of them got together at the Legion to honour their fallen comrades and the soldiers from the other side.
Our war veterans message continues to live on: Mankind must find another way of settling our differences instead of through war and its trauma of death and destruction involved in hand to hand combat; the air, sea battles and bombing; the murder of innocent citizens and their children and the torture, starvation and sickness which occurred in the concentrations camps.
We are very fortunate to live in Canada. We must continue to preserve our democratic way of life and worship and be able to forgive, though not forget.
Just remember–every day is a gift, especially here in the gem of the Rockies. Let there be peace on earth.
Respectfully,
Harry Home
