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Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, November 4,1992 Â 5 "... at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them." PRESTON MOVING & STORAGE LTD. 420 Baseline Rd, W., Box 160, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 623-4433 Sponsored by Bowmanville Branch No. 178 Royal Canadian Legion Supporters of Meals On Wheels - Wellesley Burn Centre Legion Service Work Award Winning Legion Essay We set out early from our Belgain youth hostel on that cloudy June morning. Our destination was Vimy Ridge, France and we, the John Deifenbaker Secondary School Senior Band, were to play a concert there. Oh great! I thought to myself. Another Another one of those days when all we did was ride in the bus and play concerts. concerts. One of our chaperones launched into on of his usual, cheery good morning speeches, but I boredly tuned him out, thinking longingly of all the little boutiques I could be in, shopping my little heart out. Why were we going going to Vimy anyway? From what I could still distantly remember from A Remembrance Day Prayer Please tell me that he did not suffer When the end drew near And he was helpless. Say to me that his dignity remained remained intact •As he lay on the field Among the dead and wounded. Convince me of the fact that he died with peace of mind and soul Despite the treacherous reports of gunfire Close as hand. Comfort me with the knowledge That he was capable of forgiving all of mankind For his agony. Please assure me that he passed on with no pain nor discomfort Even as his wounds stained the land And the smell of death wafted through the air. I beg of you to tell me that he was not frightened, worried or alone At any moment in time. Please put my mind at ease ' And say that his last moments son earth were filled with blissful thoughts Of those he loved. Make me believe that he had nothing nothing but fond memories Of this turbulent world Although his last moments were filled with the tortured screams Of the dying. And wherever he may be, Make it known that I am proud. First Place Tanya Kuzmanovic Windsor, Ontario my history class, it was only a dumb old war monument. A tour guide met us at our bus and began showing us around. I ignored his lecture-like speech about how glad he was that we, as Canadians, could be here and imagined myself eating the little French pastries I had stashed on the bus. Then, a pamphlet about the monument was shoved into my hands. My attention was caught by the grey images of soldiers in the cover and I slowly came out of my reverie. I looked up and for the first time, I noticed noticed that all the walls around me were full of names. Oh, I wished I'd paid a bit more attention in history class! I opened the pamphlet and as I began reading of that long ago battle, a faint spark of interest kindled itself inside me and began to grow. I banished all thoughts of little French pastries and of shopping in Belgian boutiques and instead, opened my mind to what was going on around me. I began listening attentively as the guide told us of the First World War, the horrors of the trenches, the massive massive death, destruction and misery, the quest for Vimy Ridge and of Canada's triumph. While he was speaking, we went down into the tunnels. It was cold and damp and the passages were narrow and dark. I walked slowly and tried to imagine what it must have been like all those years ago. Suddenly Suddenly I stopped. There, carved into the wall beside me, was the crude outline of a maple leaf. A shiver ran do^vn my back and I could almost feel the haunting presence of the soldiers who had once lived and died in these tunnels. tunnels. That's when it hit me. It was because because of their dreams for a better world and their willingness to fight for freedom and their country that I could be here today. Suddenly, shopping shopping just didn't seem that important any more. Later, as the proud stains of "O Canada" wafted over Vimy Ridge, where forty Canadian teenagers stood at attention, the cloud cover parted and rays of sunshine blessed us all. I raised my eyes to what I now realized was not just a "dumb monument" but a tribute to those who had fought for us and our future. I knew the only way I could even begin to try and repay them was by honoring their sacrifice. WREATHS are available from Branch 178 Royal Canadian Legion for laying at the cenotaph Wednesday, November I Ith For information, call Art Brooks-623-3592 That's what Remembrance Day is all about. It is not only for veterans to remember remember the past but for the young to leam about it, honor it and use it to build the future. I watched the Canadian flag flutter triumphantly in the wind and I remembered remembered a line out of my history book "Vimy Ridge is where Canada became a nation." How true, I thought, remembering the maple leaf on the tunnel wall. How very true. As we stood for a minute of silence after the national anthem, I thought of all those names, our eternal and silent reminder of the past. "God Bless Them" I prayer, "And God Bless Canada." Canada." First Place Lilian Schaer Hanover, Ontario