Canada Remembers Times - 2015 Edition - Page 4

Modern Day Hot Spots

HMCS Toronto departing Halifax to serve as part of Operation Reassurance in July 2014.
(Photo: Department of National Defence HS2014-0747-013)

Our country’s military efforts in Afghanistan came to an end in 2014, after more than 12 years of dangerous service. Unrest continues in many parts of the world, however, and our men and women in uniform have answered the call to join our allies in missions in other hot spots since then. Operation Impact, in the Middle East, has seen Royal Canadian Air Force warplanes conducting operations against insurgents in Iraq, including aerial surveillance, refueling duties and ground strikes against enemy targets.

Canadian Armed Forces members on land, at sea and in the air have also been active in Operation Reassurance, supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) efforts in response to the troubling Russian actions in the Ukraine. From our navy frigates in the waters of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to our warplanes and soldiers in Eastern Europe, Canada had continued to stand up for peace and freedom.

Operation Gratitude

Second World War Veteran Carl Willms.
(Photo: The Guardian)

Carl Willms of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. In November 2013, he and 12 other Veterans residing in a local nursing home were honoured by grade seven students from Birchwood Intermediate School in ‘Operation Gratitude’.

After marching into the retirement facility accompanied by a bagpiper, students shared their ‘Gratitude Rock Garden’ that contained personal messages of remembrance. They then presented a special certificate to each of these true Canadian heroes.

Willms and the other Veteran recipients were very touched to see young people who cared so much for them. Mission accomplished for Operation Gratitude!

Remembering Afghanistan

The Highway of Heroes in November 2007.
(Photo: Department of National Defence TN2007-0761-03)

Remembrance Day is a special time to reflect on those who have lost their lives in military service and thank our Veterans, young and old alike.

For some people, unfortunately, remembrance can hit home with painful emotion on a daily basis. One hundred and fifty-eight (158) members of the Canadian Armed Forces from across the country died during our country’s efforts in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. The bodies of the fallen were returned to Canada for a formal repatriation ceremony, then carried down the Highway of Heroes before being returned to their families. The Canadian flags that were waved along the Highway of Heroes are now put away and our nation is beginning to heal. The friends and families of the fallen, however, continue to quietly bear their deep loss. The wounds of Afghanistan live on in other ways, too. Many soldiers returned home with injuries to body and mind that, for some, will last a lifetime.

Canada is remembering those who served in Afghanistan in many ways. The Government of Canada recognized and supported the friends and families of the fallen with a “National Day of Honour” on May 9, 2014. On Remembrance Day 2014, there was a formal rededication of the National War Memorial to add the dates of the Afghanistan mission. Other memorials, like the Afghanistan Vigil that has travelled across the country recently, have also been unveiled and more will be in the years to come.

Newspaper Word Shuffle

Use the syllables in the boxes to answer each clue related to stories in the newspaper. Once complete, piece together the leftover syllables to solve the question at the bottom.

MUR

HER

CON

BRO

DEUR

MIS

GAL

MANSK

LIP

WAL

TON

Turkish peninsula where Newfoundlanders served.

African country where Canadian peacekeepers served.

Difficult naval supply route in the Second World War.

Naval officer who served in both world wars.

Female war photographer.

Which Canadian earned a Victoria Cross at the Battle of Hill 70 in 1917?

Memorials from Coast to Coast to Coast

There are more than 6,000 memorials across the country dedicated to different wars and various branches of the military. Use social media to share photos of war memorials in your community to show you remember.

Canada Remembers Times - 2015 Edition

Memorials

Date modified:: 2015-08-31