Jay Hill Reports
Thursday, November 12, 2009 03:28 AM
MP Report by Jay Hill, M.P.
“A ‘Pittance’ of Time to Pause and Remember”
Ninety-one years ago, the signing of the Armistice treaty between Germany and the Allies silenced the guns of the First World War. On November 11th, 1918 at eleven o’clock, silence descended on the battlefields for the first time in four years.
In fact, the last Canadian to be killed in World War One was fatally shot at 10:58 a.m. His name was Private George Lawrence Price and he was a member of a Saskatchewan regiment. Two minutes later, the largest conflict the world had ever known was over.
November 11th is our opportunity to give thanks and remember those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our country and the values we share as Canadians. At the same time, we give thanks to those Canadian soldiers who are today working to defend these values and promote peace in Afghanistan and around the world.
Remembrance Day is the ideal time to reflect on the grandparents and great-grandparents who crossed oceans to fight on the front lines of Europe to break the grip of tyranny. The sons and daughters who stood between an unsteady peace and the renewed spark of conflict. The husbands, wives, brothers and sisters who work each day to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.
And those here at home who make their own sacrifice as they support family members deployed across the country and around the world.
At the forefront of my thoughts are the brave men and women who are currently serving our nation – especially those who I had the privilege of meeting during my trip to Afghanistan in 2006. Their steadfast commitment and belief in their mission never ceases to amaze me.
I also honour our older generation of Veterans whose shining example of bravery and commitment fills me with pride in our nation’s history.
This year I was privileged to attend the Remembrance Day 11 a.m. ceremony in Taylor where veterans, led by seven RCMP officers in their red serge, paraded the half mile from the hotel to the cenotaph.
Following lunch at the Taylor Hall, I visited the Fort St. John Legion for coffee and conversation with local vets. Later, I attended Hudson’s Hope’s annual Remembrance Day dinner banquet where I commented on a music video I saw this week titled “Pittance of Time” by Canadian singer Terry Kelly.
It’s a moving tribute to our veterans at a time when some Canadians feel they are ‘too busy’ to pause and remember for two minutes on November 11th. The song prompts me to recall the aged Belgian man I spoke with while standing in the Menin Gate in Ypres in 2007. He has made a 40-year commitment to the Last Post Society and their DAILY ceremony of remembrance to Canadian soldiers … a march to the gate to play the Last Post EVERY night at 8 p.m.!
You can view the ‘Pittance of Time’ music tribute at www.youtube.com.
Fortunately, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, so many of us actually do pause to offer our gratitude and commitment to never forget the service and sacrifice of our honoured soldiers.
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