A couple of nights ago, I was at the Walmart in Elfrida. Like every year, there was a table with a veteran, and another Legion member, a young lady who looked closer to my age. We spoke for a few moments, and shared our stories. I told them about Frank and Stan, while they told me about how important it is to keep our veterans' memories alive.
As I was putting my wallet back into my purse, after picking up yet another poppy, and purchasing a pin, from the corner of my left eye, I caught sight of an arm. Money went into the bin, and a poppy was plucked, as I heard the words, "I have seen war." A moment later, when I turned my head, I saw someone who looked to be a few years older than myself, thirty at the oldest. Looking at his face, but especially his eyes, I could see that he's seen what so many haven't and survived. Taking his poppy, he said to the Legion members behind the table, "thank you."
I don't know if his thanks was due to our military saving him in some way, or if it was for Canada providing him with a safe, war-free haven. It didn't matter though. He was grateful.
Part of me was amazed. I suppose it's because I'm not sure how I think someone who's seen war, survived, and fled to a safe environment would feel. This young man was grateful, when part of me thought that he might be angry with the military, especially having come from a place that's far from peaceful.
Though we always remember our men and women of the First and Second World Wars on Remembrance Day, sometimes we forget to remember the ones of today. The men and women who put their lives on the line for those who still have yet to experience a life lived in peace.
This year, when you pick up your poppy, think not only of our brave souls of the past, but our ones of the present. The war-surviving civilian in Walmart always will.
For more, please refer to my original 11 Days of Remembrance miniseries from November 2011.
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