There’s often a concern that the significance of Remembrance Day is waning, but there is hope that’s not the case.
A recent national poll conducted for Historica Canada indicates that 29 per cent of respondents plan to attend a ceremony Saturday, up three per cent from 2016.
The poll also states that 37 per cent of respondents between 18 and 34 will take part in a ceremony.
It’s difficult to know why a generation separated from most of Canada’s battles are increasingly interested in Remembrance Day but one suggestion is the hard work of teachers and veterans over the years. They have introduced students to the sacrifices made when so many of these youth no longer have grandparents or great-grandparents to recount these stories.
But the support for Remembrance Day isn’t just a national trend. Here in the North Okanagan, huge crowds are common at all of the ceremonies. In some cases, Canada’s most recent campaign in Afghanistan has reignited interest in our military.
All of us can play a role in keeping the spirit of our veterans — historic and modern-day — alive.
One way to do that is to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in Enderby, Armstrong, Vernon, Coldstream, Lavington, Lumby, Cherryville and Lake Country. But if you are unable to attend a service in-person, at least pause at 11 a.m. and urge others around you to do so as a way of paying tribute to those who served and still serve.
Lest we forget.