Oh, Canada

your direct simplicity shines

Americans are most Texan than we realise, it strikes me. We like BIG and we like grand events. We are a big country with lots of stuff and people so this isn’t all that surprising but big and grand isn’t always best.

Our Canadian cousins are also big, by land mass. Actually, hold on, they are bigger than we are even if their population is smaller. Like us, they have so many immigrants but seem to welcome them more than we do these days. Canada excels at many things but maple syrup, ice hockey, Horton’s donuts, and beautiful cities come to mind immediately.

And they hold solemn, classy, powerful remembrance events.

The Canadian Embassy in Washington sits on Pennsylvania Avenue, almost a stone’s throw from the Capitol (what they must have thought as the January 6th mob moved up the street) and perhaps a mile from the White House. Through the dismissing leaf cover one sees the Capitol dome clearly. It’s a relatively new site with a large open courtyard facing the southeast funneling visitors into a tasteful five story structure with horizontal windows overlooking us (anxiously?).

Canada is a nation of a smidge under 40 million people represented quite powerfully and admirably by the 68,000 active duty volunteers and 27,000 reservists. This professional force participated in World Wars I and II, Korea a few years later, Vietnam, and remains one of the key peacekeeping forces upon whom the United Nations (and we in the United States) have relied for decades. They have a unified force though all officers and enlisted wear the colours of either the Navy or the Air Force or the Army. The 5,000 Royal Canadian Mounted Police don the cool scarlet tunics and jodhpurs of a force born from riding.

In short, Canadians sacrifice in a world where they are a smallish player by population but a people who pay the price for their commitment way in and war out. Actions create consequences.

Ambassador Kirsten Hillman was the initial speaker, appropriately but understatedly explaining why anyone’s attendance at this ceremony was important to Canadians. She also reminded all that the remembrance included recognising the 70th anniversary of the armistace on the Korean peninsula, making sure that conflict was not forgotten.

The military speakers, however, more passionately highlighted Canada’s commitment and camaraderie with other veterans world over. The Defense Attaché, Major General Michel-Henri St-Louis passionately And personally spoke of the sacrifice of at least one fiancee fifteen years back. He passed the horrifying word of her intended’s passing and the subsequent twist of the loss spurring her further into the fold of advancing Canada’s interests as an employee of the Embassy today. He remarked repeatedly on his ties with others from Washington’s Defense Attache’ corps, including calling out the Korean who was to place a memorial wreath alongside several others on this solemn occasion.

A chaplain, simply called Padre by the female Royal Canadian Air Force mistress of ceremonies, similarly spoke deeply but simply about, faith, and commitment. He spent a great deal of time noting the families who give so much. No one listening had dry eyes as he walked back to his seat.

An all women’ choir, drawn from across the entire country, sang several extremely moving renditions of older and newer music on remembering those who endure so much. Two young women read poems, including Canadian John McCrea’s 1915 haunting masterpiece ‘In Flanders Fields’.

Wreaths on behalf of the Ottawa government, the Mounties, the Attache Corps, the United States, and the Koreans who benefitted from Canada answering the call in 1950 gently adorned the scene by the time a bugler and a bagpiper closed the event. As a reminder of the Dominion within the United Kingdom, the closing tune was ‘God Save the King’ which still throws me as the Queen’s passing after seventy years is slow to compute for me.

In short, it was tight, moving, and appropriate to the point of the day rather than an extravaganza of some sort. That doesn’t mean they did not put in incredible time preparing as it ran with military precision but it was the type of remembrance the overwhelming majority of veterans I know would have wanted.

Take time to think about how many women and men have volunteered to serve during your lifetime. Then think about the commitments across our history, whether voluntary or conscripted. Service is an amazing concept when one truly ponders it.

‘In Flanders Fields’

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Be well and be safe. FIN