Remember your own way
A guide to paying your respects this Remembrance Day
Becca Paterson
Features Editor
Honour those who fought for this country with different activities happening all over the city this November. One of the easiest things to do is wear a poppy. Drop some change into one of the many donation boxes that popped up this month to help a veteran in need. That loonie in your pocket could really really go a long way.
Photo illustration: Albina Khouzina
Amid the mid-semester crunch, it can be really easy to simply exist within the bubble that is school stress. But remembering the world outside of Mount Royal’s halls is important — especially when it comes to remembering the sacrifices that Canada’s soldiers have made to allow you to be here. Nov. 11 is more than just a day off school to laze around in your pajamas instead of hitting the books — it’s an important date in Canada’s history.
There are many different ways to honour the men and women who have served our country, and it really depends on each person to do what works best for them. Perhaps you have a close connection to someone who served in one of the World Wars, and honouring that specific person makes the most sense to you. Maybe you yourself are currently connected to Canada’s armed forces, and that makes Remembrance Day even more significant to you. But for those who don’t necessarily have such ties, but still want to pay their respects, The Reflector has put together this guide of where to be this Nov. 11, as well as some other ways to remember our country’s fallen soldiers.
Services around Calgary
One of the best ways to pay your respects is to attend one of the various Remembrance Day ceremonies that are happening around the city. There are several of them occurring all over, so there should be something that works for everyone. Here are just a few:
286 Legion Remembrance Day Ceremony
Nov. 11
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
#5, 1107 – 33 St. N.E.
Battalion Park Ceremony
Nov. 11
10 a.m.
Battalion Park
3001 Signal Hill Dr. S.W.
Remembrance Day Service
Nov. 11
9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Southern Jubilee Auditorium
1415, 14 Ave. N.W.
The Military Museums Remembrance Day Service
Nov. 11
10:45 a.m.
The Military Museums
4520 Crowchild Tr. S.W.
Other events
If you aren’t able to make it out to one of Calgary’s various services or ceremonies, there are plenty of other events happening around Calgary that honour our soldiers.
Field of Crosses
In a park along Memorial Drive reserved just for this event that runs from Nov. 1 to 11, white crosses with red poppies are erected to honour soldiers from Southern Alberta who have fallen in battle. At sunrise and sunset, there will be flag raising and lowering ceremonies, respectively. Anyone is welcome to walk throughout the park and pay respects or attend any of the flag ceremonies.
Jake’s Gift
Take the whole family to see Jake’s Gift, a play about a veteran who is reluctant to go back to France on the anniversary of D-Day. The play runs until Nov. 22.
Photo courtesy: Jake’s Gift
This play, put on by LunchBox Theatre, follows the story of a Second World War veteran who is reluctant to make a return to Normandy for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. According to the show’s website, “Jake’s Gift is about the legacy of remembrance and makes personal the story behind one soldier’s grave.”
The show’s run has already started. Tickets to Jake’s Gift are $25, or $20 for seniors and students, and it runs until Nov. 22 — including a performance on Remembrance Day.
Special Remembrance Day Cemetery Tour
There are cemetery tours that happen in Calgary throughout the year, but this is an opportunity to take in some of the history of Canada’s men and women who have served our country. Visitors will be given the chance to reflect and remember the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers who returned to Calgary as their final resting place. This special tour of Union Cemetery begins Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.
Wear a poppy
This is the simplest thing you can do. We all have loose change jingling around in our pockets, even if it’s just a loonie or two. Drop that change into one of the many poppy donation boxes that pop up just about everywhere at the beginning of November. Not only will wearing a poppy show your respect for our veterans and fallen soldiers, but you will also be contributing to services that help to provide basic needs to veterans who don’t necessarily qualify for government assistance, but still need some extra help. That loonie in your pocket could really go a long way.
Reflect by yourself
The point of Remembrance Day is to do just that — remember. It is meant to honour and never forget the people who have given their lives so that ours may be better. But remembering and reflecting looks different for each person, so do what works best for you. Just don’t forget to remember.
