Remembrance Day

Sometimes I think about the differences between Canada and the USA, and for the most part they are not great, but once in a while things strike me.

When Remembrance Day (it was originally Armistice Day) was first brought forward in Canada, the veterans decided that the day would be dedicated to remembering the war veterans from all wars.  There were to be no flags attached directly to the Day, as it was to honour the deeds from all sides of every conflict.

Unit flags are welcome, and items such as those, but veterans of WWII from Germany, Italy, France, England etc, have all been equally honoured here.

We are proud of our efforts as a nation in WWI, II etc, but the day is not to honour our efforts as a nation or people, but to recall that on both sides of every conflict are people, and many of those people deserve their efforts to be recognized just as much as those from 'our' side.

Who won, who was right, which side we believe deserved to win, which side we support is irrelevant on this day for me.  That you served with honour, pride and determination is what matters.

Different from what is celebrated in the USA, as there, their own county's veterans are who take centre stage.

This may seem like I disapprove of what they do, and it is not, really.  But it does highlight a difference between the cultures.