Tales of Animals in War - 2021 Edition

“Arf! Hey everyone,” woofed Gandy the dog. “Here I am with my Remembrance Clubhouse friends for a tour of a local military museum as part of our annual reunion. We chose to explore this interesting place to learn more about our country’s military history and remembrance. Military museums are definitely pretty cool. They help honour the experiences of the brave Canadians who have served in uniform during times of war, conflict and peace.”

“Exactly,” Win the bear happily growled. “It was amazing to be able to explore and sometimes even touch the many items that are on display. It was kind of like walking through a door into the past because each object tells a different story. What a great way to learn about history! This is something very important in our Remembrance Clubhouse, as we all have animal relatives who helped humans serving in the military over the years.”

“There was just so much to learn,” purred Simone the cat. “We explored the museum looking at all of the different historical artifacts. Then we decided we would split up and each pick an object that we thought was especially interesting. And now we are going to share our findings with each other—and with you!”

“Museum artifacts, by the way, are special items that relate to the past. They can be so many different kinds of neat things,” neighed Bonfire Jr. the horse. “Seeing these sorts of objects can help us make a connection with what happened many years ago and better understand the experiences and sacrifices of those who served in the military. They were just so brave—some of them even received special medals for their courageous acts.”

“We definitely found some very cool artifacts,” trumpeted Ellie the elephant. “We all seemed to be especially interested in what people wore during wars and peace support missions, whether it was uniforms, headgear, combat boots or lifejackets. Serving in the military can be very dangerous so people—and even animals—put on different equipment to try to protect themselves.”

“But people also need to be able to have a bit of relaxation,” squawked Squeaker the pigeon. “Serving in uniform can be extremely stressful and Canadians have found ways to try to have fun, wherever they may have been. Some of the museum artifacts revealed that unexpected side of military life, including some sports equipment that our soldiers used in war zones! It made my feathers ruffle a bit just seeing that.”

“It sure is interesting to get together to share the cool items we discovered at this place,” barked Gandy. “But there is also a whole lot more fascinating history like this to be found all across Canada. There are military museums from coast to coast to coast, and also online. Where could you go to learn more about our country’s proud military heritage and remember the many brave Canadians who have served?”