Vince Hanna, retired member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry regiment (PPCLI), sits at the Royal Canadian Legion in Lethbridge on Remembrance Day.
Educating youth is the best way to show them the importance of Remembrance Day, according to a retired member of the Canadian military.
“There’s a lot of ugly stuff out there that people don’t want to talk about,” said Vince Hanna, a retired member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry regiment (PPCLI).
He said it is important for Canadians to learn from the past to prevent it from repeating itself.
“I fought in the jungles of Vietnam for two years… You just carry a rifle and shoot people, there’s not really much to tell. You just try to not get shot and try to keep your friends from getting shot. I was never a hero; I just did stuff you had to do to survive,” said Terry Wilson, former U.S Marine Corps and current member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Hanna said a lot of people do not know about the peacekeeping missions Canada has been involved in.
“Nobody talks about it, other than on Remembrance Day. It should be part of history [in schools],” he said.
Though today’s youth grew up in peace-time, Wilson said it is easier to learn about war today than it ever has been.
“A lot of immigrants coming in are fleeing from war and they have stories to tell,” he said. He also said the internet allows youth to learn about wars and history they never would have known about otherwise.
It is important for Canada to have a strong military to uphold the country’s tradition of peacekeeping, according to Hanna. He said the best way to help young people understand the importance of the military and Remembrance Day is by sharing knowledge.
“I think they have to learn about what these solders and armed forces people did for us to maintain peace in our country and other countries,” said Lyle Lambert, a member of the Canadian Legion and a retired police officer.
Lambert said it is important to get young people involved with the military, so they can carry on traditions and memories.
“Like they say, a country that forgets its past will soon be forgotten,” said Hanna.
The Royal Canadian Legion got young people involved on Nov. 11 using the popular video game Fortnight. Partnered with Wunderman Thompson Canada, they created a custom map called Remembrance Island. The game, which is normally violent, took away players weapons when they entered the level. Instead of fighting, they were led by a trail of poppies through historic sites, modelled after places Canadians have fought in the past.