None of them were born yet. In fact, many of their parents were just at the beginning of their lives.
They never lived the horrors of war, never experienced the loss of a loved one who was fighting for their freedom, fighting for what was right.
But a group of students from Elphinstone Secondary School this week honoured those who sacrificed so much for all of us - many young people not much older than the students themselves.
Thanks to an idea from Gibsons Legion veteran Larry Boyd, the students, armed with rakes, shovels, brushes and brooms, tended to the forgotten graves of veterans buried in Seaview Cemetery.
Boyd pitched the idea to his granddaughter, who enlisted the help of her friends. The idea caught lightning in a bottle when teacher Sarah Mani and her leadership class heard about the idea and jumped on board.
On Tuesday, the students scrubbed headstones, scraped away moss and pulled weeds in an effort to clean up and restore the gravesites in the special veterans' area of the cemetery.
Loved ones are tasked with the upkeep of these burial sites, but as many of the veterans were buried in the 1940s, there are no longer any living loved ones to tend to the graves. A lot of the graves have been forgotten, but now they have been remembered and honoured by veteran Boyd and these wonderful, caring young people.
This is a win-win that just warms our hearts. What a fitting tribute as we turn our attention to a day of reflection this Monday.
Nov. 11 is not just another holiday on the calendar. Yes, it is a day off from school and from work for many people, but it's a day to pay tribute to all the men and women of our armed forces who gave up their lives and continue to put their lives on hold so we can have the freedom for this day of reflection.
We live in a wonderful country, a wonderful province and a wonderful community. Just imagine what our country, our community would look like had it not been for our soldiers fighting for freedom? Many countries in this world are in the midst of war, of social oppression, of unthinkable hardships. Many do not enjoy the luxuries that so many of us from time to time take for granted. So this Monday, if you can, go to one of the Legions in Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt and Pender Harbour. Pay tribute and honour our remaining veterans and the ones who have been lost. Thank them for their service and their sacrifice.
Remember and reflect.
