November 11, 2019. OTTAWA. On November 11, 1918, after four years of war, the guns of Europe fell silent and peace returned to the continent. Today, Canadians from coast to coast to coast gather in their communities to honour the brave men and women who gave their lives so that we may live in freedom. We pay tribute to the men and women who serve in the uniform of the Canadian Armed Forces, defending that freedom every day.
More than a century has passed since the end of World War I. The hundreds of thousands of Canadians who bravely served their country in the ‘war to end all wars’ have left us now. But they live on forever in the hearts of a grateful nation and in the liberty and peace we enjoy every day.
Since the end of WWI, generations of Canadians have taken up the call to arms to defend our country and our liberty in WWII, Korea, Afghanistan, and countless places on this Earth. They have fought with valour and honour, and they deserve the everlasting respect and gratitude of a people whose freedom they have ensured through their sacrifice.
“Let the two minutes of silence we observe today and every year remind us of our eternal commitment to our fallen. We remember and honour them,” stated Captain (Retd) Andre Sochaniwsky CD, President of the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada. “We also take a moment to honour and acknowledge our Canadian soldiers serving overseas in Ukraine, mentoring the Ukrainian Army under Operation UNIFIER; in eastern Europe, leading the Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia and air policing in Romania.”
In 2014, war returned to Europe. Russia invaded Ukraine and is today waging a war of aggression in Ukraine’s east. Every day, Ukraine’s finest sons and daughters fight and die so that Ukraine may be free. Their courageous struggle is a reminder to us all, that too often and at great cost, liberty must be defended. With God’s Help, they will be victorious.
Lest We Forget. Вічная Пам’ять.
