There was once a worry that Remembrance Day ceremonies would die out and disappear - the idea being that as the veterans from the Second World War passed away, natural-born Canadians would become increasingly separated from their military past and new immigrants wouldn't care about Vimy Ridge and Dieppe.
Many people thought Prime Minister Stephen Harper's insistence on returning the word Royal in front of the official names of the Canadian armed forces, passionately marking the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and increasing federal spending on the military for the first time in decades was political pandering to traditionalists. Instead, it's now clear that Harper was slightly ahead of the curve and saw the approaching wave of new popularity for Canada's military history and the men and women who currently wear the uniform.
Former Governor-General Michaelle Jean recognized it, too, which is why she wore the formal green Canadian Forces uniform with Prince Charles to the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the cenotaph in Ottawa in 2009. It was the third time Jean had donned her military uniform (the word "general" is in the job description for a reason - the Governor-General is the official commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces) but it was the first time a Governor General had worn it on Remembrance Day in 25 years.
She was praised across the country for her proud tribute to past veterans, as well as to the Canadians still serving at the time in Afghanistan (she had worn her uniform when she visited them two months earlier).
And that was from an immigrant from Haiti.
Afghanistan has certainly played a role in reinvigorating Remembrance Day in Canada. In the earlier days of the Afghan conflict, the federal government tried to hide the caskets draped in the Maple Leaf that were coming home. They quickly realized that the uproar wasn't about Canadians dying needlessly in a stupid war on the other side of the world but about the government not letting the public pay its respects. Canadians may have questioned the length and the cost of the Afghan mission but even the most dovish and anti-war residents understood that after 9-11, Afghanistan needed more than a hug and rousing version of "Give Peace A Chance."
Residents across the nation were particularly proud that our soldiers weren't just peacekeepers in Afghanistan but were actually fighting a real opponent (the Taliban) who had helped a mass murderer kill 24 Canadians on Sept. 11, 2001.
But the new interest in Remembrance Day is about more than the novelty of seeing young veterans at the ceremonies or feeling the loss of three former Prince George residents who died during the conflict in Afghanistan: Cpl. Matthew McCully, Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick and journalist Michelle Lang.
More than ever before, present-day residents are now coming out to Remembrance Day ceremonies to pay tribute to their ancestors.
On Thursday, we published the Second World War story of Alfred Morris, who lined up with his fellow veterans since moving to Prince George in 1967 but died recently at age 91. He left behind journals, photographs, maps, medals and his camera from his years of service aboard the HMS Illustrious in the British Royal Navy.
In today's paper, we tell the story of the Lebel family, which has seven family members who have worn the uniform.
There was a time when the newspapers had to work hard to find new stories to tell on Remembrance Day, because of the reluctance of the veterans to share their experiences. Their children and grandchildren have no such reluctance. This year, we actually turned away people coming in with great Remembrance Day stories, asking them to come back right after Halloween next year because those stories are also worth telling and particularly on Nov. 11, they never grow old.
Remembrance Day isn't about celebrating war, it's about celebrating the accomplishments of our ancestors and our present-day peers who put their lives on the line to fight for our freedom, with some paying dearly for their sense of duty.
We are right to be so proud of those whose service to their country should never be forgotten.
