Today, April 9, 2012 marks the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This battle fought between April 9-12, 1917 at Vimy, France between the 4 Divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and elements of the German 6th Army, became a Canadian symbol of sacrifice and valour.It is said that the battle of Vimy Ridge became a defining of our young nation, and stories of courage, leadership and sacrifice still are remembered by many Canadians even today. ( for you military history buffs out there, the battle was also the first time that all the Canadian Divisions fought together, under Canadian command (not British)- and the victory was considered to be the result of technical and tactical innovation, intensive artillery support, and extensive and detailed training) At Vimy, there sits an impressive and inspiring memorial to the battle. This memorial, built in 1936 on landed donated by the grateful people of France in perpetuity ( the land and area is in fact a Canadian National Park) honours the over 4000 Canadian soldiers killed in the battle, and also has inscribed on it, the names of the 11, 285 Canadian soldiers killed during the First World War who have no known graves ( over 66,000 Canadian soldiers died during this conflict) The park also contains cemeteries for fallen Canadian and other allied soldiers.
I have had the opportunity and honour on a few occasions to go to the memorial and spend time in reflection and remembrance. The sheer size of the memorial and the countless names of those who died is both overwhelming and humbling. It is an emotional experience, and I left that sacred space
feeling pride and gratitude. It is I'm sure the same as one would feel visiting Pearl Harbour, Arlington, the Vietnam Memorial, and countless other memorials which are found across the Europe and elsewhere. These memorials allow us to reflect and remember, they allow us honour lives. They tell the story of lives lived.
As a funeral director, my role in society is to help people celebrate the lives of their loved ones, to give dignity and honour to lives lived and to help loved ones tell the story of who they were, and what they meant to their family and friends. I do this by helping people create the story they want to tell, and provide them with the means to do this. It is an honour to do, and each family we serve, we do so with gratitude for having been giving this opportunity.
As I reflect on the importance of the day in our nations history, I see the Vimy Ridge Monument as a place where the stories of those who died are in essence told, as a place where those who never received a funeral service are honoured, and most importantly a place that showed that these fathers,sons, and brothers lived and where part of our world. It seems the least we can do. This is why to memorialize our loved ones is so important and meaningful- to give recognition that they were with us and to tell their story. To give them a place of permanence and honour. The manner this is done may vary, and in today's society we see less of this, but the importance cannot be diminished. Every life is a story, we owe to our loved ones to tell it. Just my thoughts...
