Remembering Is Something You Do

During Veterans’ Week, Canadians will pay tribute in an act of Remembrance. Commemorative ceremonies and events across Canada will honour our Veterans and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifices and achievements of our Veterans have helped define and defend Canada’s values of freedom and democracy. They will always be remembered.

Remembrance is more than something you think about – it’s something that you do. You can wear a poppy above your heart, attend Remembrance Day ceremonies, and vow never to forget; change your profile picture on Facebook to a poppy and blog or tweet about the importance of remembrance; or listen to Veterans talk about their experiences and thank them for their service.

Another way to help remember is to find your connections to the past. You can obtain information on where the graves of all Canadian soldiers who died while serving abroad are located. Search for your connection to the past by visiting the Veterans Affairs Canadian Virtual War Memorial online at www.virtualmemorial.gc.ca. (If you are looking for an Allied soldier you could also try a similar search through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at www.cwgc.org as they keep track of all Allied cemeteries.)

Search by name, but keep your search terms broad to yield the best results. This is especially important with first names, initials or common misspellings of names.

The results will usually include photos, a copy of the page from the Book of Remembrance on Parliament Hill, vital personal details and possibly even a summary of the circumstances surrounding the soldier’s death.  You can even add additional details.

Share your findings and experiences with others in a gesture of Remembrance. I would be interested to hear from anyone who uses this process and finds it as rewarding as I have.