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Editorial: By candlelight

World War I ended in November of 1918, but Canadian soldiers are still losing their lives 100 years later while helping to restore order in several countries throughout the world.
Candlelight tribute

World War I ended in November of 1918, but Canadian soldiers are still losing their lives 100 years later while helping to restore order in several countries throughout the world.

This Saturday, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 164 continues a tradition it started in 2009 in recognition of veterans laid to rest at Powell River Regional Cemetery in Cranberry and Holy Cross Cemetery in Kelly Creek.

Over the past nine years, some of the previous candlelight tributes have commemorated important dates in Canadian military history, such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France during World War I, the invasion of Nazi-held France (D-Day) on June 6, 1944, Victory in Europe Day in May of 1945, and the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War 65 years ago.

This year, the annual ceremony honours Canadian, American and armed forces personnel from other countries who served in any war or peacekeeping mission, and RCMP members. In total, 341 graves will be marked at the two cemeteries, a number that has increased each year since the inaugural candlelight tribute as local Legion members identify more veterans with the help of family members and fellow veterans of the deceased.

Crosses, candles and Canadian flags placed beside the graves for the ceremony are a sight to behold, especially as the light fades in the evening, and well worth the drive to Cranberry or Kelly Creek to bear witness, pay respects and remember.

Veterans and army, air and sea cadets march into the cemetery and help light those candles, which instills the tradition into the young members of each corps, who may be called upon one day to represent citizens of their country, including those whose footsteps they would follow.

Canada will deploy support troops to Mali this summer, continuing its commitment to United Nations peacekeeping missions, and even though some people are skeptical, 65 years after the Korean War ended, peace on that peninsula actually seems like a possibility. With the increasing rhetoric coming out of North Korea and the United States a few months ago, who would have predicted that?

Honouring peacekeepers, past and present, on a more regular basis keeps the memory of their sacrifices top of mind. Remembering involves more than a moment of silence on November 11.