Taking a moment to give thanks to those who served and sacrificed on this Remembrance Day.
This year I travelled with the Burlington Teen Tour Band to England and France. The band was invited to take part in the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Along with performances, the band also visited a number of museums and sites, including the Juno Beach Centre, and significantly, the Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer in Normandy, France.
Prior to the trip, each person was given a set of dogtags, which were fundraisers for the Juno Beach Centre. The dogtags included one engraved with our name, and one engraved with the name and information for a fallen soldier who was buried at Bény-sur-Mer. Band members were tasked with doing research on their fallen soldier ahead of the trip. This made it a bit more personal, and during our visit to the cemetery, you could hear band members talking about going to visit the grave of “their” soldier. Many left tokens or messages from themselves or family members of the soldiers themselves. We actually made two visits to the cemetery – once during an official commemoration ceremony, and then once again – because the band members really wanted the opportunity to spend more time there. They also had the opportunity to speak with a number of veterans and families who were visiting the cemetery at the same time who shared their personal stories of the war.
This was such a significant trip for everyone who was able to take part – and it truly helped us to know that “freedom is not free”. As one band member recently said – “We will always remember to never forget”. I am sure that going forward, Remembrance Day will have a particular significance for everyone involved.
I did write about this trip when I returned – you can see that post here. You can visit the Burlington Teen Tour Band’s site to find out more about the band, and click HERE to see the research that was done on the fallen soldiers.
