MEMORIAL DAY. The mission of Remembrance Day is to remember these brave soldiers who died fighting for our freedom, to remember the First and Second World Wars forever, and to remember that there is also a new generation of soldiers in the taken with missions abroad whose return home resulted in post-traumatic syndrome.
On November 10 and 11, on the occasion of Remembrance Day – formerly called Armistice Day – two solemn ceremonies organized by the Royal Canadian Legion branch of Beauce took place, one in Beauceville and the other in Saint-Georges. Dignitaries, mayors of Beauceron towns, veterans, soldiers, police officers, ambulance drivers, cadets and their families, gathered to remember that our freedom had a human price to pay during the first two world wars.
“It is our duty to remember those who disappeared during the wars, but also the young veterans in other Canadian missions,” says Guylaine Bilodeau, a veteran deployed to Bosnia in 1995 to support the troops.
“Canada never declared war, but we supported our allies in all of this. We lost very young soldiers during the First and Second World Wars. Conditions were not easy at that time. Today we have a new generation of young veterans. It’s important to come together, even if we don’t know each other personally. We are a big family. »
A veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Ghyslaine Beaulieu, originally from Saint-Honoré-de-Shenley, was part of the second group of women who joined the new French-speaking recruit course in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in 1972 The group grew from 300 to 1000 women. She did not serve a foreign mission during her 23 years of service.
“There were missions, but no women were sent. I always say I was part of the years peace and love », she adds with a wink.
It’s more than a duty, it’s a vocation
Two French people from France were also present for the occasion, Éric Bernardeau and Loïc Le Gall, part of branch 249 of the Beauce of the Royal Canadian Legion.
“For me, November 11 means a lot. One of my grandfathers served in the war 1914-1918, the other served in the Second World War and was born on November 11, 1918, Armistice Day. It’s his birthday today,” proudly expresses Loïc Le Gall, who was a military paratrooper for 20 years.
Éric Bernardeau, for his part, participated in several conflicts during his 31 years of service, such as Operation Desert Storm, Cambodia and Yugoslavia.
“What I remember from these experiences is to help others, protect them and the whole brotherhood between soldiers. In Cambodia, we helped build a school, that’s also part of the job,” underlines the retired soldier.
Post-traumatic syndrome
The mayor of Saint-Georges and former lieutenant-colonel, Claude Morin, says he was recently approached by fellow citizens arguing that Remembrance Day should be stopped due to the death of most veterans of the first two wars.
“No, on the contrary,” he said. “Look at what’s happening internationally right now. I’m telling you, things will be brewing in the next few years. More than ever, you have to be ready,” he explains.
“We must think of those who died in combat, but also of those who went and returned with post-traumatic problems. There is as much collateral damage to each individual deployed in this type of operation,” he concludes.
