I attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph located by the courthouse in Penticton on Monday.
Everytime I go to the Remembrance Day ceremonies I watch with respect.
It was a very memorable ceremony for all of us. I see Remembrance Day in very many different ways. I have been associated closely with WWII and Korean War vets, Vietnam war vets and those who have served in our most recent conflicts in the Middle East. I have respect for all of those that have served and are serving in various ways to keep Canada safe.
Some of our soldiers went overseas and some of them remained in Canada, serving in different ways to support and help keep our troops safe while fighting on foreign soil.
I of course have my service dog in tow at all times. There were quite a few dogs in attendance and most of them were very quiet and patiently waited for their owner to tell them it was OK to get up and leave.
They would watch each other, but only in silence. There have been occasions when my dog has saved my life by alerting me to something I did not hear, or to steer me around something that I should avoid.
I am sure there are many memories for veterans of dogs saving the lives of our soldiers from dangers they did not see. There are working dogs that are trained to detect bombs or traps.
The dogs may distract or pull the troops away from a dangerous place that nobody should walk through. And for all of them, I greatly respect the dogs and their handlers that helped bring many of our troops home safely.
I also see the effect and have heard the stories from those who served overseas. There were dogs that were a comfort for many.
The dog was not a working service dog, but I guess you could say a therapy dog for many people. And for some of those dogs, they were lucky enough to be brought home. I have talked to soldiers that were stationed in various areas and one of their regrets was the dog that they had made friends with, but were not allowed to take them home when their duty was over. I think of those dogs as an important part of the support given to the troops overseas.
I respect our soldiers and I know those soldiers respected the dogs even though they may not have been trained service dogs, but nonetheless a dog that helped them feel loved and secure while their regular family was too far away to hug and hold.
The Blue Heeler was brought home by many of our troops that were stationed in Australia during WWII. These dogs were the beginning of the Blue and Red Heelers in Canada and the U.S.. They are not quite the same as the Australian Blue, but close enough to be registered as Heelers. I hope there are more breeds that were brought home and now are a commonplace part of our lives with many of us not knowing how they even got over here.
When we think about how important our dogs are in our daily lives of comfort and love, I think of those dogs as an important part of the support given to the troops overseas. I’m pleased they were a part of their lives and they have shared their stories to help make them a part of ours.
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