A Ponoka family has taken remembrance to a new level by sponsoring a grandfather who fought in the Second World War.
When the chance came to sponsor a flag at the Ponoka Legion’s Flags of Remembrance ceremony recently, the Giles family jumped at the opportunity. Nancy Giles said her family sponsored a flag for her grandfather, Theodore Kother, who joined the Canadian forces in the Second World War. “We all worked together to put in the money and buy the flag.” Giles added that it gave her goosebumps to be part of the ceremony.
While Kother was relatively quiet about his experience fighting for Canada, Giles said it felt like the right thing to do to honour him. “He didn’t want to stress other people out about what he had to be part of,” said Giles.
She said her entire family is close and this seemed an ideal way to honour her grandfather. Bringing the family together for the ceremony felt quite patriotic.
While her son Dylan was not there for the ceremony, seeing the flags is a source of pride. “Every time I go past these flags it just makes me happy that people will go out and raise these flags,” Dylan Giles said.
He suggests that simple act of remembrance is an important part of being Canadian.
“It just really hit home how amazing it is that people gave up their life for freedom,” added Dylan.