over the course of my life, from the 1960s to present day, much has changed in the way Remembrance Day is presented.
I remember vets of "The War To End All Wars" WW1 being front and centre. Vimy Ridge. Paaschendaele. Ypres. The Somme.
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Canadians served and perished with distinction in Korea. Kapyong. Hill 355. it was seven years from start to finish.
Afghanistan. the longest war in Canadian history. ISAF. Operation MEDUSA. Kandahar. these are the majority of veterans today. 40,000 served in theatre. as with previous generations, their experiences mostly remain within them and their families.
never forget nor discount the Blue Berets of UN Peacekeeping Forces. Cyprus. Golan Heights. Balkans. Somalia. Rwanda. many more
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as time rolls on fewer & fewer who paid for armed conflict are still with us. the politics can and will be debated forever. but the costs will amass forever as well. I cannot imagine being trained to fight for your life, literally, then entering the field.
Memorial Chapel in Parliament's Centre Block is a place that made an impression upon me I will never forget.
the reverence for all of time, the sacrifice of over 118,000 Canadians is displayed. they all mattered.
Lest We Forget 
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as those WW1 vets passed it turned to veterans of the most destructive conflict in history WW2. Dieppe. Hong Kong. Ortona. Cassino. Juno Beach. these vets were the ones in my family I knew in person. nothing of their experiences was ever volunteered, little was shared. only the medals and commendations spoke for them. they commanded respect from their sacrifice and their loss.
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