A hero’s welcome
Roméo Dallaire receives two standing ovations during Sydney Remembrance Day service
It’s not every day Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire delivers a speech in Cape Breton, but when he does the community certainly listens.
Dallaire was in Sydney on Saturday for the annual Remembrance Day service at Centre 200, where the 71-year-old was the keynote speaker for the event.
As Dallaire approached the microphone to begin his speech midway through the service, he was greeted to a standing ovation by the crowd of about 2,000 people at the ceremony as a sign of gratitude for his service to Canada.
The crowd remained silent throughout Dallaire’s passionate speech about posttraumatic stress disorder, a condition he was diagnosed with as a direct result of his mission to Rwanda.
“I’m absolutely amazed by the discipline and the concern and empathy of the civilian population to the veterans,” Dallaire said in an interview with the Cape Breton Post. “They stayed throughout that whole thing, nobody talked, nobody moved, it was very impressive.”
In his speech, Dallaire noted Saturday’s service was the first one he’s participated in since returning from Rwanda, and one he doesn’t regret attending.
“I think it was one of the most innovative ones I’ve been at, I haven’t been at many in the last years, but from what I can remember,” said Dallaire.
Dallaire spent 37 years in the military before retiring in 2000. He served as the commander of the United Nations assistance mission during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 when more than 800,000 people were killed over a four-month period.
The Quebec City native made headlines when he, along with a few others, disobeyed the command to withdraw and remained in Rwanda to help protect those who had sought refuge with UN forces.
“He was speaking from the heart, he didn’t have a prepared speech or anything, he just got up and it came deep within himself,” said John Danch, one of the organizers for the event. “People were blown away by his speech.”
Dallaire was appointed to the Senate as a Liberal in 2005 by former prime minister Paul Martin and resigned from the position in 2014.
He’s been very public about his diagnosis of PTSD and has served as an advocate for other soldiers. He’s also made an effort to eradicate the use of child soldiers internationally.
As Dallaire finished his speech, the crowd once again rose for a second standing ovation.
Following the service, Dallaire visited the Royal Canadian Legion branch 138 in Ashby before flying to Halifax on Saturday afternoon.