The Royal Canadian Legion General Alexander Ross Branch #77 conducted the annual Decoration Day Parade and Ceremony Monday evening in the city.
The annual parade is a far less known opportunity to mark the contribution of veterans than Remembrance Day in November although it might actually be a more poignant affair.
The ceremony held in the Yorkton Cemetery is one which actually brings into focus the number of young men who went to Europe during the Second World War to defend the freedoms we all now take for granted.
The service, held in the shadow of the cemetery cenotaph includes having the ashes from the burning of the wreaths laid Remembrance Day spread upon the graves of veterans buried there.
Looking at the rows of small Canadian flags marking the graves of each veteran shows how many brave young men heeded the call. And yet those are the graves of those who returned.
The ceremony also helps those in attendance remember those who did not return. Locally dozens of soldiers from the city died. Nationally thousands fell in fields and dikes and forests across Europe liberating country after country from the grip of Nazi Germany.
So on a warm night in June taking a couple of hours to join what is a dwindling number of surviving veterans to mark the contributions they and their comrades made to democracy seems like a natural thing we should all undertake to do.
However, it was interesting to note this year, that while Mayor James Wilson represented the City, the six Councillors were conspicuous by their absence. That is unfortunate since veterans died by the thousands to ensure they could run for, and be democratically elected to their current position.
It was also curious that while one member of the RCMP was present in the familiar red serge, no other members of the local City or rural detachments marched with the veterans.
And sadly, the number of people from the general public was far too thin given the beautiful evening to be out supporting our veterans.
This year's event also was one where one has to feel somewhat solemn as the number of veterans alive and able to partake seems to shrink annually. That brings into question who will hold the parade and pay homage to our veterans in the years ahead?
It is to be hoped we as a community are willing to take the standard from the weathered and aged hands of the last veterans and carry it forward so that what they sacrificed for us is never forgotten.
