By Cassie Tulecki
Remembrance Day is a time to remember those who served in the armed forces who lost their lives for our country; it is also referred to as Armistice Day. The date represents the day and time when armies stopped fighting during the First World War; the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Every year people all over the country wear red poppies on their clothing in November as a sign of respect and to support Canadian troops. The poppies are handed out for free but many choose to donate money when they pick one up. The poppy has become a familiar symbol for this day due to the poem, In Flanders Fields. The poppies grew across the battlefields of Flanders in the First World War.
Kitchener will be holding a ceremony at the Kitchener cenotaph, at the corner of Frederick and Duke streets downtown, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The surrounding streets will be closed for the ceremony. There will be two minutes of silence at 11 a.m.
“It’s a pretty powerful event, there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of people crying but it really makes you feel proud to be a Canadian,” said Tyler Walkinshaw, a second-year woodworking technician student.
One woman who goes to the ceremony every year, who didn’t want to give her name, spoke about her son who has been in cadets for two years. “It was a choice he made when he was younger.”
She supports his decision to be a part of this country in a way that benefits others. She said even at a young age her son was first to stand up for friends and family members. “It gives him a sense of discipline and patriotism; he gets to meet other people as well.”
Remembrance Day to her means a day out of the year where we can all come together and grieve and remember the people we’ve lost.
Conestoga College’s Doon campus will be the site of a Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11 at 10:35 a.m. in the Student Life Centre atrium. It will begin with a brief ceremony followed by two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. to honour those who served and continue to serve this country.
Shawn Hargreaves a second-year welding student, said, “I’ve been going to the ceremony downtown for six years now, I think it’s important to support the troops.”
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