IT was called the War to End All Wars but as we all know, it wasn’t.
The Great War of 1914-1918 or the First World War in which an estimated 10 million solders were killed was followed by the Second World War of 1939-1945 with millions more killed and since then numerous other conflicts taking uncounted lives have followed.
As much as the conflicts of the last century and their aftermaths defined the shape of the world today, the involvement of soldiers and civilians defined not only their participants but their families and communities.
It’s why each Remembrance Day people gather at services and cenotaphs across the country to honour the sacrifices of those individuals.
This Remembrance Day the service at the Tillicum Theatre will recognize the contributions of local Second World War veterans courtesy of the French government.
It has struck a specific honour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 1944 and of the Battle of Normandy which followed to liberate France and is being presented to those who took part.
“Through you, France remembers the sacrifice of all of your compatriots who came to liberate French soil, often losing their lives in the process,” writes the French ambassador to Canada of the Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour to the recipients.
To that we can only offer our collective thanks as well.
Editorial, The Terrace Standard, Nov. 5, 2014