How long until we forget?
REMEMBRANCE DAY Why do we have such difficulty paying proper tribute to those who risked their lives for us?
Re Let’s honour these heroes Letter, Nov. 7. Once again, it is time for us to remember our veterans. The honourable men and women who valiantly risked their lives for our country, our freedom, our being. Our veterans didn’t ask for much in return, just to be remembered for the price they paid for us.
This would seem to be a simple request, so why do we have such difficulty paying proper tribute to these men and women?
Six years ago, while in Grade 9, my school hosted a beautiful Remembrance Day assembly featuring a number of veterans from Brant County. This assembly, which lasted almost an hour, left me full of pride for my country and grateful to the courageous men and women who stood before me.
After the assembly, between classes and at lunch, I saw poppies covering the floors of the hallway. It was almost as though students were so relieved the assembly was over they threw their poppies in the air like confetti to celebrate. A symbol that means so much to our country was being trampled by the sneakers of youths who had no idea how lucky they have it. How long until we forget the significance of the poppy and simply wear them because you’ve worn them for as long as you can remember? How long until Nov. 11 is just another day on the calendar? How long until we forget that people died for our country, that they died for us?
Lest we forget. Ryan Krantz, Brantford, Ont. Re Veteran ignored by motorists Letter, Nov. 8.
I, for one, am absolutely appalled by the letter of Percy Barber. I am deeply ashamed that the morals of those people who drove by him, without stopping to give him a ride, reached an all- time low.
I have noticed for the last few years or so, a decline in general respect toward our veterans. When you see them selling their poppies, many people just walk straight by without even looking at them or telling their kids what this is all about.
Let me try to put it this way, if it was not for our veterans, and especially the Canadian veterans, most of Europe, but certainly my country of birth, the Netherlands, would have suffered much more. The Canadian soldiers were a very welcome sight in 1945 and they still are when they return to the Netherlands. People turned out in large numbers to see the veterans parade in recent celebrations to commemorate the end of the war.
I remember my mother telling me, that as a little girl, she was wounded and in the hospital in Groningen in the spring of 1945 and that her parents, my grandparents, would try to bring her extra treats and badly-needed food from their farm and that the Germans would stop them and confiscate the food from them. When the Canadians arrived to liberate the city of Groningen and when they arrived at the hospital, my mother received, for the first time in five years, a piece of chocolate from one of the Canadian soldiers. Therefore, we will always remember the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands and who fought their way across Europe, often with large sacrifices.
Please, honour and respect the veterans and help them as much as you can. If you need any help as a veteran, please let us know. Ian Kruizenga, Grand Valley, Ont.