Remembrance Day

Marianne Van Osch (Patrick Davies, 100 Mile Free Press photo)

Lest we forget: Two young Forest Grove men never returned from war

Marianne Van Osch’s weekly column

  • Nov 14, 2021

 

A sign at the Winfield Cenotaph tells people looking for the Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2021 that the event has been cancelled due to a threat of violence. (Bobbi DiMaggio/Facebook)

Threat of violence directed at B.C. Remembrance Day ceremony

Ceremony location changed after threat that “somebody might get killed” if United Nations flag flown

 

A woman lays a wreath at the cenotaph in Hope on Remembrance Day. (Bill Dobbs photo)

Remembrance Day gatherings disrupted in British Columbia

Incidents in Kelowna and Kamloops mar Nov. 11 gatherings

 

The ‘Immortal Poppy’ NFT. (Royal Canadian Legion)

‘The Immortal Poppy’: Canadian Legion sells NFTs for 100th anniversary

The Legion is selling poppy NFTs this year for the 100 year anniversary of the Canadian poppy

  • Nov 11, 2021
The ‘Immortal Poppy’ NFT. (Royal Canadian Legion)
A hanger on the site of a Second World War airfield that was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan is seen near Claresholm, Alta., on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. The plan was a major program for Allied aircrews. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

‘We managed to survive’: Abandoned Second World War training airfields fading away

Hank Jackson, 100, was a tail gunner on a Halifax bomber

A hanger on the site of a Second World War airfield that was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan is seen near Claresholm, Alta., on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. The plan was a major program for Allied aircrews. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Sentinels stand guard during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on November 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canadians welcomed to attend Remembrance ceremonies, told to wear masks and distance

Some restrictions and changes will nonetheless remain in place as COVID-19 continues to pose a threat

Sentinels stand guard during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on November 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Clarence ‘Chuck’ Kyler and Tony Evans are two faces familiar to everyone at the Forest Grove Legion. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

Military an education for Forest Grove vets

Though they served in peacetime the two still have plenty of stories to tell

Clarence ‘Chuck’ Kyler and Tony Evans are two faces familiar to everyone at the Forest Grove Legion. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)
Remembrance Day ceremonies have provided people with the opportunity to consider the sacrifices made by those who served during times of war. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many ceremonies have been cancelled or are held online only. (Black Press file photo)

QUIZ: A time for remembrance

How much do you know about times of war?

Remembrance Day ceremonies have provided people with the opportunity to consider the sacrifices made by those who served during times of war. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many ceremonies have been cancelled or are held online only. (Black Press file photo)
Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Minister Lawrence MacAulay responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa on November 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Government will hire more staff to address veterans’ backlog, caseloads: minister

Announcement made in the wake of 5-part Canadian Press series on veteran’s issues

Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Minister Lawrence MacAulay responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa on November 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Last Post Fund’s Unmarked Grave Program have identified 7,000 unmarked Commonwealth veterans’ graves and given them a permanent headstone or marker. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)

Unmarked Grave Program looking for Canada’s lost veterans

Last Post Fund’s gravesite program giving veterans final respects

The Last Post Fund’s Unmarked Grave Program have identified 7,000 unmarked Commonwealth veterans’ graves and given them a permanent headstone or marker. (Ben Lypka/Abbotsford News)
Veteran Matthew Kane poses for a photograph in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, November 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The Money: Today’s veterans fighting Ottawa for equality with previous generations

Campaign continues in fight for equity and fairness for all veterans

Veteran Matthew Kane poses for a photograph in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, November 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Federal leaders remember sacrifices, injustices endured by Indigenous veterans

Flags on federal government buildings lowered to acknowledge the service of Indigenous veterans

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Veteran Jeffrey Shepherd walks back to the house with his wife Christine from their backyard in Casselman, Ont., on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Burden: veterans’ injuries take toll on families and caregivers

Advocates and others say federal supports fall short of what is needed

Veteran Jeffrey Shepherd walks back to the house with his wife Christine from their backyard in Casselman, Ont., on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay uses his phone as he arrives for a cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Tens of thousands of Canadian veterans who sustained long-term injuries from their military service are waiting to find out whether Veterans Affairs Canada will approve their disability claims. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Backlog: Thousands of veterans with disabilities are waiting years for support

Tens of thousands of veterans are waiting to see if their injuries qualify them for support

Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay uses his phone as he arrives for a cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Tens of thousands of Canadian veterans who sustained long-term injuries from their military service are waiting to find out whether Veterans Affairs Canada will approve their disability claims. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canadian soldiers Benjamin Van Eck, left, and Dan Campbell are shown in Kandahar, Afghanistan in this 2007 handout image. While Campbell would eventually settle down to start a family, Van Eck struggled with drug addiction and homelessness after hanging up his uniform before his lifeless body was found on the streets of London, Ont., this past June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Campbell, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

The Streets: Ottawa faces calls to step up on veteran homelessness

Grassroots organizations have stepped in to feel in the gaps left by government services

Canadian soldiers Benjamin Van Eck, left, and Dan Campbell are shown in Kandahar, Afghanistan in this 2007 handout image. While Campbell would eventually settle down to start a family, Van Eck struggled with drug addiction and homelessness after hanging up his uniform before his lifeless body was found on the streets of London, Ont., this past June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Campbell, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
FILE – The Canadian flag flies at half-mast at the funeral for Lionel Desmond and his mother Brenda Desmond at St. Peter’s Church in Tracadie, N.S. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. Desmond killed his mother, wife and young daughter before taking his own life earlier in the month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

The Caseload: Veterans Affairs staff overwhelmed by number of vets assigned to them

An internal review released in 2019 found case managers spent more time filling out paperwork than helping veterans directly

FILE – The Canadian flag flies at half-mast at the funeral for Lionel Desmond and his mother Brenda Desmond at St. Peter’s Church in Tracadie, N.S. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. Desmond killed his mother, wife and young daughter before taking his own life earlier in the month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Grade 11 Brookswood Secondary student Charlie Farquharson, 16, wrote and recorded a rap song for Remembrance Day last year as part of a Grade 10 class assignment. He did the entirety of the project from his home computer using software he was already familiar with, calling writing and recording music a hobby. (Special to Langley Advance Times)

B.C. teen writes, records rap to bring Remembrance Day to forefront for youth

16-year-old Charlie Farquharson says youth should be engaged in different ways

Grade 11 Brookswood Secondary student Charlie Farquharson, 16, wrote and recorded a rap song for Remembrance Day last year as part of a Grade 10 class assignment. He did the entirety of the project from his home computer using software he was already familiar with, calling writing and recording music a hobby. (Special to Langley Advance Times)
A rock with the message “Every Child Matters” painted on it sits at a memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, in Kamloops, B.C., on Thursday, July 15, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canadian flag to be raised Sunday on federal buildings, in time for Remembrance Day

Flag will be hoisted at sunset on Sunday, lowered Monday for Indigenous Veterans Day, then raised

A rock with the message “Every Child Matters” painted on it sits at a memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, in Kamloops, B.C., on Thursday, July 15, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A ceremonial flagged is raised as people attend the Xe xe Smun’ eem-Victoria Orange Shirt Day Every Child Matters ceremony to honour victims of the Canadian Indian residential school system while at Centennial Square in Victoria, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. The Assembly of First Nations says it has found a solution to raising the Canadian flag on Remembrance day, while continuing to grieve for Indigenous children who died at residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Assembly of First Nations says raise Canada flag alongside ‘every child matters’ flag

‘Until all children are recovered, named and returned to their homelands’

A ceremonial flagged is raised as people attend the Xe xe Smun’ eem-Victoria Orange Shirt Day Every Child Matters ceremony to honour victims of the Canadian Indian residential school system while at Centennial Square in Victoria, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. The Assembly of First Nations says it has found a solution to raising the Canadian flag on Remembrance day, while continuing to grieve for Indigenous children who died at residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A previous edition of Operation Raise a Flag is seen. Canadians across the country are once again invited to buy a flag to be planted outside the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto this Remembrance Day. (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre)

British Columbians invited to help plant 30,000 flags at Canada’s largest veteran facility

Toronto’s Sunnybrook Veterans Centre seeking nation-wide support to plant flags for Remembrance Day

A previous edition of Operation Raise a Flag is seen. Canadians across the country are once again invited to buy a flag to be planted outside the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto this Remembrance Day. (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre)