By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Hundreds of area residents congregated at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex on November 11 to take part in the city’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
After a reciting of Canada’s casualties in every major conflict since the beginning of the 20th century, the ceremony began with the singing of ‘Oh Canada’ followed shortly after by a responsive reading of Psalm 46 and two hymns.
The main speaker at the ceremony was St. John’s Lutheran Church pastor Peter Knelson, who began his address talking about sacrifices made by members of the Canadian Armed Forces to defend our freedoms and protect peace around the world.
“And so on behalf of everyone here, I want to say thank you for your service for the sacrifices you have made to protect our country,” Knelson said.
He then drew attention to the fact that 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s creation in 1924 and highlighted the stories of three Canadian RCAF members who made great sacrifices in service to their country.
Knelson recalled the words of John 15:13 — Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends — and commented on how it can be difficult to digest the enormity of the sacrifices made by veterans.
“There is a sacrifice, though, that does deal with the difficulty of war and death. And this is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave up his life and was raised on the third day to give us the hope of the resurrection and eternal life to all people,” he said.
While we wait for Christ’s return, he said, we can honour veterans by holding Remembrance Day as sacred and always taking time to remember their service and sacrifices.
And while ordinary people cannot prevent wars from going on overseas, Knelson noted we have control over our own lives and can at least maintain peace with others individually.
“It is the least we can do for our veterans who have sacrificed so much,” he said.
The ceremony continued with the playing of the Last Post and two minutes of silence, followed by a listing of the names of local service people and a recitation of ‘In Flanders Fields’ by several members of the Girl Guides.
After a final prayer, the ceremony concluded with the Colour Party exiting the building and the laying of a wreath at the cenotaph outside.