A united front of remembrance

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This article was published 05/11/2018 (2522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before the first wreath is laid at the RBC Convention Centre on Remembrance Day, members of the Joint Veterans Association have carefully considered the smallest details of the annual service.

Order of precedence; where the premier and other dignitaries are to be sat; the posts of local Girl Guides and cadets; and appointing personnel for the passing of the torch are just a few items on the agenda.

Organizing the annual remembrance service — one of the largest indoor commemorations in the province, which attracts over 3,000 people — is a substantial collaborative effort that pulls together veterans and active service members from across Winnipeg with a common purpose: to remember them.

“I served this country for close to 31 years, I’m third generation military, I understand that if we lose our history we are destined to repeat it again,” said Craig Frost, master warrant officer with 1 Canadian Air Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the emcee of this year’s ceremony.

It is a special duty to serve as the “talking head” for the JVA and communicate to the thousands of civilians, veterans, and service members in attendance, the sacrifices made by his peers both past and present, Frost said. 

On the 100th anniversary the armistice of the First World War, relating the contributions made by Canadians in a war that defined the country internationally carries even more weight.

“Can you tell me the name of the last soldier killed in World War One? It was a Canadian, two minutes before armistice was signed,” Frost said.

George Lawrence Price, a Port Williams, N.S. native, is regarded as the last Canadian, and last Commonwealth soldier, killed during the Great War. He died from a gunshot wound on the outskirts of Mons, Belgium.

In the last 100 days of the war alone, there were about 46,000 casualties.

“I’m trying to educate people,” he continued. “People don’t know these things so I want to make sure that it is covered within the ceremony.”

Skimming through his speaking notes, Frost highlighted the various conflicts Canada has been connected to over the decades: in Afghanistan, Canadians served a combined 40,000 tours, losing 158 members in the process; in September 1993, during the Battle of Medak Pocket in the former Yugoslavia, the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry engaged in some of country’s most significant fighting in the 50 years preceding the Afghanistan conflict; and by the end of the Second World War, which Canada had not been prepared for, Frost noted, the country had the fourth largest air force, six full Army divisions, and the third largest naval fleet.  

Second World War veteran Ralph Wild will also be in attendance at this year’s ceremony. The 100-year-old served in the Battle of Britain and will take part in the passing of the torch from one veteran to another, Frost said.

“Recognizing an old guard is phenomenal because we’ll never know what they’ve been through in that kind of warfare. Warfare now is different.

“I’ve been to war four times now, but it’s different than the war they fought.”

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Combined, the members of the JVA have over 150 years of service in the forces, both for Canada and allied nations.

The Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association, Canadian Peacekeepers Association, Royal Canadian Air Forces 17 Wing, Portuguese War Veterans, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones, ANAVETS, Royal Canadian Legion, Hong Kong Veterans Association, and the Korean Veterans Association, among others, are represented by the JVA and are part of the planning process for the independently organized Remembrance Day ceremony.

Armand Lavallee, chairman of the JVA, said the assembly of various veterans is voluntary and the work carried out by committee members is done enthusiastically, though there are jokes about being “volun-told.”

“We’re here as different veterans organizations, but we operate like a fellowship,” he said. “We work together and it’s not a matter of saying you do this or you do that, it’s more lenient than that.  

“We want people to take part, the ones that have joined the organization, to get them involved,” he said.

The JVA was formed in 1964 by war veteran and amputee Bill Neil and initially included the ANAVETS, Royal Canadian Legion, the War Amps, and the Hong Kong Veterans. The intent was to work together to organize commemorative events and collectively solve problems facing their organizations’ members.

For years, the JVA hosted a Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph on Memorial Boulevard, but considering the cold unpredictable weather of Winnipeg in November, successfully lobbied the City of Winnipeg and Mayor Bill Norrie to provide the Convention Centre to the veterans.

The City of Winnipeg currently covers the rental expense of the hall, estimated at $16,000, and provides the print materials for the program. Additional costs, such as renting audio-visual equipment is covered by private donations and sponsorship from veterans branches.

In a lot of ways, the JVA operates as a united front — collectively making decisions that will inform how the act of remembrance will be carried out on Nov. 11 within the RBC Convention Centre.

With a diverse pool of resources and experiences to draw from, the final work of the committee is intended to reflect the communities and contributions of those who have been impacted by conflict, either in service or as civilians.

Stan Lopata, a representative of the Hong Kong Veterans Association, said the program developed by the JVA is a comprehensive commemoration of those who fought for freedom.

“The whole idea behind Remembrance Day is to commemorate the war veterans, from not just the First and Second World War, but Korea, Vietnam, Portuguese… every veteran regardless of which conflict they were involved,” he said.

Devin Beaudry, the Manitoba director of the Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones, said his position on the board continues the advocacy for Indigenous veterans to ensure their contributions in service of Canada are acknowledged and not forgotten.

“It’s needed because we were the hidden soldiers of all the wars,” Beaudry said. “We want people to know that we are not nothing and we are just like everybody else. We want the same recognition.”

For Peter Correia, president of the Portuguese War Veterans, his organization’s involvement is the JVA emphasizes the common ground Portuguese and Canadian soldiers shared in the First World War.

“It’s important for us to be with our brothers, the Canadians,” Correia said.

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While the JVA has a long history and much experience organizing the ceremony, each year comes with new obstacles.

Committee members are aging, health complications are mounting, and more veterans are added to the list of those to remember.

The association this year had to search for a new parade marshall as one was tapped to represent Canada at a service in Belgium and another could not participate due to health.

Duncan Anderson, public relations officer for the Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario provincial command of  ANAVETS, said the group has to continue forward as senior comrades step away from the volunteer committee, but wonders what the association may look like in 10 to 15 years.

“I think what you do is you look around and try to get someone else to step in and fill the position. It’s no different than on the battlefront,” he said.

Funding has also been a growing concern as the association looks for new ways to pay for ancillary expenses.

“We are a non-profit organization and we don’t do any bake sale or annual supper to get funds, so it’s a burden which is hard to follow for next year,” Correia noted.

However, the duty to host the service of commemoration and their pledge to remember remains at the fore.

“To me Remembrance Day is not a holiday,” said Sgt. Mike Kuruliak, a representative of 17 Wing.

The air force generator technician who served in Afghanistan and Yugoslavia said misinformation about historical conflict abounds, and generations of Canadians aren’t connected to the country’s contributions to war efforts or the impact of those conflicts on current affairs.

“We have to keep this remembrance,” he said. “If we lose this, what do we have left.”  

The Joint Veterans Association annual Remembrance Day ceremony takes place on Nov. 11 at the RBC Convention Centre (375 York Ave.). Doors open at 10 a.m. and the service begins at 10:40 a.m. but arrive early to secure parking and seating. Complimentary parking is available at the Millennium Library parkade and a blood donor clinic will follow the service.