Posted by Observer from AB Canada on May 26, 2021 at 13:48:07:
In Reply to: Re: American Truck posted by Michael Dorosh on May 25, 2021 at 20:38:40:
The year, place of manufacture, colour or whatever of the truck is totally irrelevant. I actually don't give a damn about the composition of the casket party, their uniforms (just that they indeed be uniformed military or RCMP personnel), their gender or their sexual preferences.
It really doesn't matter to me who sits where in the ceremony, although I agree that the remaining vets, in particular the amazing 100 year old vet of Vimy, should be front and centre.
To my surprise, the media has come entirely on board for this event, and have uniformly (sorry..) writeen the most moving and genuine pieces I have seen for some time. Not a cynical, clever, or skeptical note to be seen. (To review some of these articles, go to
http://www.cfc.dnd.ca/spotlight.en.html
I have already shed numberous tears over these articles. I fully intend to further dehydrate myself over the weekend with the TV coverage, and doubtless on my next trip to Ottawa I'll visit the Memorial and do some more of that.
I've been, when I was still n uniform, to many Commonwealth/Canadian War Graves in Europ from both wars. I dripped on most of those too. From the very small ones in the Netherlands and Belgium, where genuine local emotion remains very evident from all generations, to the horrendously large sites in France, you can't really understand the magnitude of the carnage until you actually stand there.
Vimy is a particularly moving piece of Canada. To see the photos of all our Brit, Australian, and other colleagues joining in the Vimy disinterment ceremonies was equally moving.
I hope this really brings home to our fellow Canadians, long-term and recently immigrated, what the wars were really about. I have no personal knowledge myself despite having served for almost 30 years, and I guess that in itself was "what it was all about".
Let us all be dignified, gracious, and thankful over this weekend.