As another Remembrance Day ceremony comes to a close, questions arise as to the full importance of remembering such a horrible time in world history. Being a proud advocator of peace, I do not condone glorifying war. I strongly believe though, that Remembrance Day is not for glorifying war, it is for remembering those who lost their lives in war, as well as the horrible times that people faced. It is a chance for people to remember the past in hopes that we learn from it and refuse to repeat it. Canada has mostly been seen as peace makers in war, and I believe that those who served deserve full respect, not only on this day of remembrance, but also every single day of their lives, and even after their lives.
Our school is incredibly lucky to have had General Romeo Dallaire come speak, and receive our leadership award. Having seen the movie "Shake Hands With the Devil", based on his peacekeeping efforts in Rwanda, I have so much respect for him and what he has done for the world. He is an inspiration to us all, and I hope that everyone at the assembly will take his words to heart and follow in his footsteps to make a change in the world that we all share.
On a sadder note of a war veteran, my grandmothers next-door-neighbour, Frank Taylor, who served in the second world war, recently, for the fourth time, had his house broken into. War documents and even his birth certificate were stolen from a safe in his home. In having met him on multiple occasions, I know how much the war and what he fought for fully mean to him. The fact the someone would break into a senior's home at all makes me sick, but stealing war documents takes it to a whole new level of disrespect. I pray that the culprit will be caught, and that all of Frank's belongings will be returned to him.
Remembrance Day is an amazing time to fully be grateful that we live in such an amazing country. It is also a time to teach and learn from the past. This day is a day that should always be commemorated so that people can truly be thankful for all those who served to make this wold a better place. Not just for us in Canada, but also for places like Rwanda, Germany and so many other country's that overcame war with the help of Canadian peacekeepers and troops. These are important events that we need to remember in order to fully appreciate the lives that we have today. I will always remember and respect those who served, and I hope that peace will prevail across the whole world.
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