Beyond the routine of Nov. 11

Canada’s cenotaphs and military graveyards will be crowded places this Remembrance Day, as they are every Nov. 11. Bearing their flags, wearing their medals on smart, blue blazers, the stone-faced veterans will march in memory of comrades living as well as dead in every city, village and town.

Around them, members of the public, mostly civilians, will watch gratefully and approvingly, perhaps reading on a monument the names of the fallen or of past battles such as Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Normandy and the Battle of the Atlantic.

The veterans of the First World War, of course, are all gone. The veterans of the Second World War will number fewer than last year, and those who turn out will move slowly, even haltingly, as is only natural for people in their nineties.

The participants of Canada’s most recent, largescale military conflict — the Afghanistan intervention — will be younger and more vigorous, though many will be as haunted by war as their elders.

Then at the stroke of 11 a.m., and after a trumpeter plays “The Last Post,” everyone will fall silent. It is important for us all, not just those at the cenotaphs and in the cemeteries but for every Canadian, to participate. For their sacrifices, the veterans are owed this much — this moment of remembering. We all know the routine. Put on a poppy. Stop. Reflect. And most of us in some way join in.

But marking Remembrance Day should never become a thoughtless, reflex action, a formality performed by rote by people with minds wandering. We must, of course, remember the fallen, those who lost their lives in the service of Canada. But just as importantly, we should remember those who lost their minds or their limbs wearing a Canadian military uniform. We should remember those for whom war is as real as the events of today.

Fighting, killing, witnessing unspeakable violence, experiencing terror and suffering — these are the wages of war. And they leave marks even on those who are not physically wounded. These psychological wounds were called shell shock in the Great War, battle fatigue or combat stress reaction in the Second World War. Now we call them post traumatic stress disorder.

We witness the terrible consequences of it in the high numbers of Afghan veterans who take their own lives. Others turn to drugs or alcohol as pain suppressants, and encounter new demons. And others struggle with finding appropriate support and reintegrating into civilian life.

Meanwhile, we have soldiers and aircrew still serving in the Middle East. They may not, by the government’s definition, be in combat. They will still need our support when they come home.

It is important to ponder all of this. Remember many things this Remembrance Day. Do not forget the servicemen and servicewomen who need, beyond our thoughts, our loyalty and help. For what they have given us, we owe them our 110 per cent in return.