Remembrance Day (2022)

School was closed for Friday, November 11, because of Remembrance Day.  This allowed the army cadets of 3045 & I to hold a community Remembrance Day ceremony at the community hall.  Preparations for the ceremony began weeks in advance.  The program mostly stays the same; finding volunteers is the challenge.  It’s good to get the community involved.  Cadets are assigned several parts too.  (More on that coming up).  I also asked for donated decorations from classes at Inuujaq School.  The cadets & I practiced the drill several times before the day arrived.

The cadets & I arrived at the community hall an hour early to set everything up.  Two Hamlet staff members assisted us.  A large colourful poster prepared by the Grade 4 class was placed centre stage (literally) to serve as a background.  Other decorations were taped on the walls.  We placed rows of chairs in the centre, and four chairs & a podium in front of the stage.  A box of poppies was placed on a table in the foyer for people who didn’t have any.  Prior to the start of the ceremony, the cadets formed up in the foyer and attendance was taken.  I instructed them to take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and not worry.  I wished them good luck, took my position at the podium, and signalled the start of the ceremony at 10:45am.

The cadet flag party marched to the front and deposited the flags of Canada and cadet corps.  The two cadets then took their positions as left markers.  The remaining cadets marched into the hall and formed a platoon next to the left markers.  The two local RCMP officers marched behind the cadets and stood next to the platoon.  They & the audience remained standing for the opening prayer.  I invited the audience to take their seats thereafter.

My Welcome Address was mostly the same as last year’s except I mentioned the ongoing war in Eastern Europe.  I briefly described how Remembrance Day came to be and how Canadians answered & continue to answer the call to defend freedom.  My speech was translated into Inuktitut by a community member.  

Everyone stood for the playing of “O Canada”.  Two community members read a Bible passage in English & Inuktitut.  The audience then sang the hymn, “Abide With Me” in both languages, accompanied by an instrumental track.  What followed was the most important six minutes of the entire ceremony: Last Post, Minute of Silence, Piper’s Lament, and Reveille.  The cadets & I had to stand at Attention for all six minutes, but we did practice several times before.  The audience stood too, but they were allowed to move.

The Act of Remembrance was read in Inuktitut & English by two community members.  Two other community members read Psalm 121 in both languages.  Several cadets took over the ceremony by explaining how the poppy became a symbol of Remembrance Day and how the plant inspired the late Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae to write his famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.  Three cadets then recited the poem for the audience. 

A cadet laid a wreath in front of the podium.  An RCMP officer did the same.  Members of the public were invited to lay their own wreaths.  The audience then sang the hymn “O God Our Help In Ages Past,” accompanied by an instrumental track.  Everyone remained standing for the playing of “God Save the King”.  An Elder said a final prayer and I thanked everyone once again for attending the ceremony.  The cadets & RCMP marched out of the hall, bringing an official end to the ceremony.

The cadets, RCMP, and I posed for photographs and then helped with the cleanup of the community hall.  I personally thanked the cadets again for participating and congratulated them on a job well done.  I dismissed them for the rest of the day.

Lest We Forget.

On a more positive note, Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully liberated the city of Kherson, the final triumphant act of the Kherson Counteroffensive.  The city’s residents greeted Ukrainian soldiers with open arms, raising Ukrainian flags, and chanting “Slava Ukraini!”  Ukrainian forces now have to consolidate, rearm, and defend until their ready to launch the next counteroffensive.  Unfortunately, Russian forces are still active on the other side of the Dnieper River and are still shelling the city.  It’ll still be a long time before Ukraine fully expels the orcs from its lands, but the victories in Kherson and Kharkiv are good for now.   

Slava Ukraini!