They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.– excerpt from For The Fallen, Laurence Binyon

In recent years there have been some discussions surrounding whether or not war is ever justified and if Canada should be shifting it’s focus away from combat missions and moving towards revamping our military to solely support peacekeeping and humanitarian aid roles.

Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica: Whether it is always sinful to wage war? says:

Those who wage war justly aim at peace, and so they are not opposed to peace, except to the evil peace…We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace.

I don’t believe in war for the sake of war, dominance or economics. I do believe that true evil exists and must be fought when encountered. I’d like to think I judge each mission the Canadian Forces are involved in on their own merit.

Many wars have been fought during the course of human history. Many have faded to memory. A few, such as the first and second world wars will likely do the same as the few remaining survivors of war’s horror slowly fade to dust. If we are to learn from history and move forward, we must never forget our past. I worry many days that we are heading in that direction – forgetting the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom from tyranny.

Each year, fewer and fewer of those who fought during WWI and WWII remain alive. Fewer people attend Remembrance Day ceremonies and sport poppies.

Tomorrow, please take a moment to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies in your local area. Visit a local Legion and spend time with our veterans. If you’re unable to attend ceremonies at a local cenotaph please observe two minutes silence at 11:00am.

You can also spend some time visiting the following sites:

• Canoe.ca – Remembrance Day: Why The Poppy?
• Terry Kelly – Pittance of Time
• Shawn Hlookoff – Soldier
• Dr. Sam – Before you go
• Judy Small – Mothers, Daughters, Wives
• Eric Bogle – Green Fields of France
• John McCrae – In Flander’s Fields
• Army.ca – Dealing with being home from Afghanistan

Update: Modified posting time stamp to keep this post in the forefront.

Technorati Tags: Remembrance Day, lest we forget, poppy, Legion, war, poetry

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