Remembrance Day

I know how blessed and lucky I am to live in the abundance and safety of Canada. I have to worry more about wasting food, than finding it. I have more clothing than I can wear out in the years I have left. I have luxuries people in other countries cannot imagine. I owe this to the men and women who served in WWI, WWII, the Korean Conflict and other peace-keeping missions around the world. Most recently Canadian lives have been lost in Afghanistan. This is so I can enjoy a privileged lifestyle. I'm am not rich by North American standards but if you consider the world, I am materially among the most fortunate.
November 11, at 11th hour, Canadians will gather at cenotaphs and halls to remember. The Canadian Government designated this date for "remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict, and peace." November 11th observances will begin with the bugling of the Last Post, followed by two minutes of silence.
I plan to attend our local ceremony which has been moved from the cenotaph to our Communiplex. I hope it is for reasons of space or so that the aging veterans (those left) can be more comfortable. There is something more solemn and authentic about remembering at the Cenotaph.
I wish, as I have said before, I had spoken more with my Dad about his service in WWII. He did not want to talk about it but if I had shown more interest, with time, he might have. Time was something we didn't have; he died when he was 56. 
He was a raw prairie farm boy, overseas for six years, fighting in the most terrible battles. Against Rommel in North Africa, up through Sicily and Italy, with time in Holland and Belgium. Nothing would have prepared him for what he saw, what he had to do, and how he would feel when he came back to Canada. He was a quiet man, thoughtful, and I think made more so by his war experiences. He was no general, captain or lieutenant. He was in the artillery and faced action all the time. I was too young and dumb to realize what I owed him. 
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The picture on the left is Dad before he shipped out. His favourite cousin, Nancy, is posing with him. 
The second picture shows him, his mother, and other family members. Again, this would be before he shipped out.