Remembrance Day ...November 11th/2013

 

 

 

Canada's role in the Afghanistan War began in late 2001. Canada sent its first element of Canadian soldiers secretly in October 2001 from Joint Task Force 2. Canadians first learned their soldiers — members of a top-secret commando unit — were in Afghanistan on Dec. 19, 2001 when the Minister of Defense announced it publicly.

The first battle group, from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, arrived in Kandahar in February 2002 for a six-month mission. It assisted the United States and other forces in an offensive against elements of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the rugged southern regions of the country as part of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom. The first contingents of regular Canadian troops arrived in Afghanistan in February 2002.

Canada took on a major role in 2006 in the more dangerous southern part of the country as part of ISAF. Battalions of  Canadian soldiers were based around Kandahar. Canada also held the command of one of the main military forces in the area, called Multinational Brigade for Command South. During this time, Operation Medusa, a major offensive against insurgents in Kandahar province, was launched.

They are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of International Security Assistance Force . At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that an undisclosed number of Canadian soldiers would remain in the country to help train and mentor the Afghan National Army until March 31, 2014 (though Canadian troops ended their combat role there in 2011). They fought for ten years in Afghanistan with courage and dedication.


 

Silver Cross Mother Niki Psiharis places a wreath during the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Monday, November 11, 2013.The legion website states that, “Psiharis lost her youngest son, Sergeant Chris Karigiannis, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle approximately 40km west of Kandahar City, Afghanistan on 20 June 2007 – less than two months from his scheduled return home in August.” (The Canadian Press)

 

Memorial Cross recipient Priscilla Blake, and her son Tie head to lay a wreath at Remembrance Day cermonies at the Grand Parade in Halifax on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Her husband, Petty Officer (second class) Craig Blake, a navy clearance diver was killed by by an explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan)

Members of the Armed Forces march after ceremony on November 10, 2013 in London, United Kingdom. (Bethany Clarke/Getty Images)

Members of the Armed Forces march after the Remembrance Day ceremony on November 10, 2013 in London, United Kingdom.

Locals line the street as members of the armed forces and veterans march during a Remembrance Day Parade on November 10, 2013 in Bristol, England. People across the UK gathered to pay tribute to service personnel who have died in the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts, as part of the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremonies. (Matt Cardy)

Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. . Remembrance Day is observed on the 11th of November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the Armistice, signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente.

The day was specifically dedicated by King George V on the 7th of November 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of all the allied armed forces who were killed during World War I. The first official Armistice Day was held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace on the Morning of November 11, 1919. This would set the trend for a day of Remembrance for decades to come.

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields". These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red color an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

This day, honoring people who fought for freedom, has grown to include all wars, conflicts, battles and struggles against tyranny that have taken their place in history since it's inception. We remember what they endured for us and pause to reflect and say thank you.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge walks back to his place after laying a wreath on the Cenotaph during the annual Remembrance Day service on Whitehall on November 10, 2013 in London, United Kingdom. (Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)

Brokers and underwriters line the balconies and escalators of the Lloyd’s of London building as a choir sings during a service on November 11, 2013 in London, England. The annual Armistice Day service honours those who have lost their lives during times of war. The service at Lloyd’s is observed with the ringing of the Lutine Bell, the laying of wreaths before the Book of Remembrance and a two minute silence.

President Barack Obama positions a commemorative wreath during a ceremony on Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. (Mark Wilson)
 

Veterans gather at the Victory Square Cenotaph for a National Aboriginal Veterans Day ceremony in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday November 8, 2013. The ceremony is held to remember Aboriginal, Metis and Inuit men and women who served in the Canadian Forces. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyckber)

US Air Force soldiers hold French and US flags as they attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial of Marnes-la-Coquette, east of Paris, on November 11, 2013. (Thomas Samson/Getty Images)

A French officer stands at attention in front of a French flag on November 11, 2013 during a Remembrance Day ceremony, marking the 99th anniversary of the end of World War I at the French Soldiers Cemetery in Belgrade. (Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images)

 

 

Richard Overton (C), 107 years-old, who is believed to be America’s oldest living veteran is acknowledged by U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony to honor veterans at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)