By Julianna Thomson

I recently received a congratulations card on my selection to the youth editorial board from a local Second World War veteran. This got me thinking that what I am doing in my community is very insignificant compared to what he did for his country. March marks the being of springtime with our families, on spring breaks and new life in our gardens as winter begins its exodus. Should it not also be a month of remembering those who loved their country enough to lay down their lives for it and to protect the rights of its citizens?

When looked up in the dictionary, “remember” means the following: to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory or to think of again. Is the service of our Canadian Forces in our memory or do we only recall them when we are asked to? Every single day we take our freedom, our right of speech, and our right of religion for granted.

I am 11 years old and I am able to write freely for this newspaper. No one is telling me what to write or how to write it. I can just write. We can choose what our profession will be, where we go to school, and where we would like to live. Our freedoms are due to the past and the ongoing service of the Canadian Armed Forces.

In Afghanistan, Canadian troops are serving, but most of us don’t think about them or remember them every day. Often we catch a glimpse of the story on the news or witness the procession on the Highway of Heroes. But when it passes, we tend to go on with our lives, with little thought to their struggles or their survival. Many of our active members return from their tour of duty with lifelong ramifications, like those who returned many years ago. Injuries, illnesses and post-traumatic stress are to name a few.

On Nov. 11th we buy a poppy, remember what the veterans did for us for a few moments that day, and then we forget about them. Is this right? I don’t think so. I believe that we need to remember our war veterans and fighting soldiers all year around. We need to truly remember them.

Most children my age know very little about either of the world wars — or other wars in history for that matter. If children were taught about not only the major events in history but also significant contributions that led up to the battles then maybe they would learn to appreciate what the veterans have done for us, what soldiers are doing for us, and what we may learn for the future. Waterloo Region is blessed to have a number of surviving veterans and returning soldiers. Spend some time with them and ask them questions. Read some history books and watch footage of the battles. Have them speak at your school or help sell poppies. These are all ways to make sure our local history and ability to remember stays alive.

By the end of the Second World War more than one million Canadians had served in the war including 50,000 women. Of the male population of Canada between the ages 18 and 45, 41.5 per cent had served their country. How many of these have we forgotten, and how many since that time do we know very little about?

Julianna Thomson is a Grade 6 student at Laurentian Hills Christian School in Kitchener.