Lest we forget...

In honour of Remembrance Day, here's a little piece I wrote about three years ago. I think that it still rings true today.

OFF THE BOARD: From failing hands

David Blye | Published: 11/14/06

Lest we forget: Three simple words that conjure up images of courage, bravery and heroism in the minds of Canadians. Three words that this past weekend blazed across media outlets and events, coupled with living, breathing reminders of this country's sacrifices and its triumphs. Words that every 11th of November allow us to look back and thank God for the men and women who chose to fight and die for this country. "Lest we forget" is supposed to mean just that; don't forget the sacrifices of our "Greatest Generation" (thanks, Tom Brokaw) so that we might not have to make the same choices as them.

However, somewhere along the way, many Canadians didn't get the memo. Or maybe they got the memo, but chose to ignore it. That must have been the case after the results of a recent quiz on basic Canadian military history: 42 per cent of Canadians were unable to pass a test that asked respondents to identify "Canada's most famous single victory in the First World War" which "consisted of the capture of a key ridge on the Western Front"-by the way, the answer is Vimy and I didn't have to look that up. Another question asked test-takers to determine which two of Douglas MacArthur, Sir Arthur Currie, Billy Bishop and Ulysses S. Grant were Canadian. Considering the fact that one of the four choices (Grant) went on to be President of the United States, the solution (Currie and Bishop) should be easy, making the study's result even more insulting.

In addition, others in this country feel that they can forget the importance of the poppy, opting to use one of the great symbols of Remembrance Day as a political tool. Since 1921, Canadians have worn red poppies-made famous in Canadian John McCrae's poem In Flanders' Fields-to show our respect to our veterans; the colour red commemorates the blood that was spilled in the fields of battle. However, this year, a number of anti-war protesters have sought to politicize the poppy-a symbol the Royal Canadian Legion calls a "symbol of sacrifice"-asking Canadians to wear white poppies because they signify peace, but forgetting the fact that the poppy itself wasn't introduced to remember peace; it was introduced to remember war and its hardships.

So where does this leave us? We seem to be a country that wants to honour its veterans, but not learn who some of the heroes were or the name of a great battle in which thousands of men around the age of the average McGill student fought. Meanwhile, others seem to feel that, because they disagree with a war being fought in 2006, we should change one our fundamental symbols of respect, which dates back to a war that ended in 1918.

While I'm not going to even attempt to place blame here, I am going to pose a challenge: Learn about our country's history. Learn who these people were, what our symbols mean and why it all means so much to millions of Canadians. Learn, because without this knowledge, we all risk losing track of this country's history. Learn, or those words seen all week might actually come true.

Lest we forget.

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