Hearing the lone bagpiper playing the Lament on Remembrance Day touches my heart every time it is played.
There is something so painful about the song that touches on loss in a way that words maybe could not. That’s what is so important about Remembrance Day. It is a time to reflect and hopefully learn from the painful truth that is war.
Far from glorifying war, Remembrance Day gives people the time, an opportunity to pause and reflect to maybe look at ways to ensure we don’t fall down those steps of bloodshed.
I am proud of the involvement of this community when it comes to this time of year. An active Legion and responsive citizens show that there really does appear to be a strong understanding of what past men and women have done for this country.
This dedication permeates all aspects of this community.
Along with a dedicated cohort of the Ponoka Air Cadets are students involved in a project that is shedding light on a period of time that is quickly becoming harder to find information on. The Broncs World Tour, or Cenotaph Project, at Ponoka Secondary Campus brings students together to find out more about Ponoka’s past veterans.
Like finding a needle in a haystack, the project has set about to tell the story of each and every Ponoka soldier who took part in past wars.
Just as important, students at St. Augustine Catholic School have helped tell the tail of remembrance by inviting soldiers who have been involved in more recent conflicts such as in Afghanistan.
These younger veterans are another reminder of the importance of knowledge of the past. We can all learn from what occurred and work to make things better for our sons and daughters.
The Lament is an important and heartfelt reminder that these freedoms we all enjoy are not as secure as we think.
Lest we forget.