Tens of thousands of Canadians gathered at the National War Memorial on Nov. 11.—some arriving as early as 6 a.m. Before the ceremony began, Ellen O’Connor asked several of them who they would be thinking of on that special day.

PHOTOS: ELLEN O’CONNOR

Daniel Benjamin

Ottawa

“I’ll be thinking of all the great soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who served our country and gave their life. I’ve lived that for 35 years and I’ve been in very risky operations so I know all the risks they take on for our country, so it’s a great day to remember those who lost their lives.”

Denis Bruneau

Ottawa

“I’m here to show my respect for the soldiers that sacrificed so much, especially with the events that have taken place recently right here at the memorial, I wanted to make sure that I was here to show veterans that we think of them and we appreciate what they’ve done for us. I come every year and try to be right here in front. I was here at 7:30 this morning.”

Richard and Luann Busch

Cambridge, Ont.

“We made plans to come [for the first time] because of the 100th anniversary and it just so happened that a number of other events have taken place that makes it very special as well. We’ll be thinking of all of our soldiers who passed on and were killed but certainly the ones in the forces today because they’re all vulnerable as well,” said Richard. Luann added, “And the Cirillo family. The ones that have lost loved ones more recently.”

Donald Carrington

Ottawa

“There’s so many that I’ve lost. Every year it gets a little bit more heart tugging to remember all the people that have gone. Especially this year I think of Cpl. Cirillo who was from my regiment. I had to come down and pay my respects to him and to all those fellows up there.”

Ronald Clarke

North Sydney, N.S.

“I’m a 36-year veteran and I’m here in Ottawa for the first time for the National ceremony. I was having a great time at my own cenotaph so I never even thought about coming up here, but this year I’m up here because the way the government is treating veterans. I personally am going to work until the next election to convince the governing party to re-open the nine veterans’ offices they have closed.

…I’m thinking of the boys we lost and the comrades I haven’t seen for years, I sort of miss them as well.”

James Paul

Ottawa

“My father Stewart Paul was born in Ottawa and signed up in World War Two for the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. He served on the Prince classes, they were called… He also got medals for Italy and France, which tells me his ship was in the Mediterranean at times supporting the operations there. I wear his ring just to remember him. I also have three uncles who were in the air force and are WW II vets—they range from 88 to 91 years old.”

Cara Simpson

Ottawa

“I’ll be thinking of several people, including what recently happened. However, I lost two members of my family in the First World War. My great grandfather survived the First World War and my great uncles in the Second World War also survived and they are both Dutch liberators. [My great uncle] passed away in 1999 and his wife passed away this spring. He was very prominent in the Brighton [Ont.,] Legion.”

Laura Welling

St. Albert, Alta.

“I’ll be thinking of any veteran that served in the forces, a lot of my family because they’ve served and my uncle who is here today who’s in the forces as well as my aunt. There’s a lot of family military history. It’s a very big, big honour to be able to represent so many people here.”

Robert Farley

Ottawa

“I’ll be thinking of all the soldiers and veterans. I have so much admiration for everything they’ve done. The training they go through, the long time away from family and friends, and of course putting their lives in jeopardy for our civil rights, our liberty and democracy. It’s a huge undertaking and I have a lot of admiration for those individuals.”

Lucille Gilbert

Quebec

“I will be thinking of Cpl. (Nathan) Cirillo and the sacrifice that he made and his death.”

Kathleen and Miriam Holmes

Toronto

“I’m here for two weeks on business, but I asked for the day off so I could come. It’s my first time here and it timed well. I think in all the years to be lucky enough to be in Ottawa, this would be the year. One of our older sisters has a friend who served two tours in Kandahar so we’ll be thinking of him. Of course, everyone will be thinking of the two gentlemen [Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent] we lost a few weeks ago, and family, community and Canadians,” said Miriam. Also her first time in Ottawa, her sister Kathleen accompanied her for support.

Louise St. Jean

Gatineau, Que.

“This is my father during the Second World War—I always bring his picture. He met my mother overseas. She was a woman from Ireland and she was working in England. My father was posted up in England and he was on his coffee break and so was my mother. She was working in the hospital with her friend when they both met. They didn’t know it would be anything special, that two weeks after they met they would fall in love. My father brought her over here. They were the loveliest couple.”

See our exclusive coverage of the National Remembrance Day Ceremony.

https://legionmagazine.com/2014/11/a-nation-remembers/