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--~~-~ - vetera atives remember war OHSWEKEN - As an impres- lfve color guard stopped traffic on Chiefswood Road Sunday, dap waved and tears were shed in remembrance of fallen war heroes. • But a declining number of wlunteers made co-ordinating Six Nations Remembrance service difficult, organizers d. "Somehow they have to en- ~e others to get involved," d master of ceremonies Bob hllson, referring to members the Six Nations Veterans As- lation. Current membership down to about 20 - including elatee:rs - ancl available help bard to ftnd, he said. Ollve Moses, secretary of the iation, suggested this ,ear's ceremony could be a 'han song." Johnson, a former U.S. Ma- e and a decorated Vietnam ~ran, disagreed. " "I don't think it11 go by the IA>ards. It's part of the comm uni- " ., About 250 people, including ~ and volunteers from 10 liilitary units, commemorated sacritlces of natives who fQugbt in the First World War, tJe Second World War, and in qae Korean, Vietnam and Per- l sian Gulf conflicts. out-of-town participants came from as far away as Rochester, N.Y. and West Virginia. "We will not forget them," said Six Nations councillor Barb Curley. "We also remember those young men and women who serve this ,very day as peacekeepers." Johnson estimated about 25 Six Nations residents are cur- rently serving in peacekeeping missions overseas. After prayers, hymns and a gun salute, a long line of people waited to lay wreaths for their loved ones at the war memorial in Veterans Park. The Six Nations service is held before traditional cere- monies on Nov. 11 so there is iess competition for partici- pants, Johnson said. Military service always gener- ates a lot of interest in the Six Nations community, he added. "It seems to be part of the em- bedded family make-up. It's a tradition, and it's a good one. It'll keep the faith of people re- membering. They take it quite seriously and are proud to par- ticipate." Many natives take advantage of the chance to serve either in • Canada or the U.S., he ex- plained. Henry Solomon, of the native community in Muncey, Ont., near London, shared a dift'erent view. The heavily decorated Conner soldier spoke before the parade marched from Six Nations com- munity centre on Fourth Line to the park. Solomon, 75, joined the Cana- dian army in 1939 as the Second World War began, when "every- one was thinking about going in." He was shot fighting in Italy in 1944, but recovered tuJ.ly. Solomon said he has no re- grets, but would "never" sign up ifhe had it to do over again. "I was young and foolish. Travel? Forget it. And romantic? There was nothing romantic about it at all." He said many qf those who Signed Up back th1Al'Urra·yed 4IX- perienCe. But far fewer native young people are now willing to get involved in the armed forces "for political reasons," Solomon added. Scott Miller, an Ohsweken resident who stopped to admire the parade as it passed, said views on native military partici- pation differ widely. "I think it's great. "They were fighting for us. . .(and) I respect them for what they did." Miller, 37, said he would have fought in Vietnam if he'd been old enough. "I have several friends who went. "I just think it's something you have to do sometimes." Marwood White, 22, said he jo· .s. Marine Corps at age 1 ecause "every young man should be in the military fora time."