It was a true honour and celebration for me as a citizen to be able to attend both the regimental dinner featuring (Retired) Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier, and the Portraits Of Honour celebration at RDC on Saturday morning. Surrounded by military personnel, the Red Deer Royals, our RCMP in their serge, and members of our Canadian armed forces, as well as Legion members, I was humbled to be in their presence.
It became very quickly apparent to me that, as very accurately reported in Saturday’s Advocate column by Joe McLaughlin, we take our freedoms too easily. Those Canadian young men and women who have given their lives, let alone the dismembered who remain, in the pursuit of keeping our Canada the true north strong and free are the brave silent heroes of our nation.
We cannot and must never forget those who have gone before us and allow us to enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted.
Bill Hollingshead
Sylvan Lake