Scarborough seniors share tributes to Canadian soldiers
Scarborough Community Council stood in silent tribute Tuesday, Nov. 10, after residents shared their tributes to Canada's losses in war.Patricia Klassen recounted her trip to France and Belgium in June for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings."What struck me most was the magnitude of our losses. Tens of thousands of mostly young men, many of whose remains were never found or identified, fought for our freedom," said the Agincourt woman, who toured some of the 900 local cemeteries for Commonwealth soldiers, including Canada's memorial at Vimy Ridge."To see the rows of graves in such huge numbers is staggering."Klassen said she was in awe of the warm welcome visiting Canadians received and the "huge number" of Canadian flags displayed, "more than I have ever seen here, even on Canada Day," she recalled during a presentation by the Scarborough Association of Seniors.Strangers in the towns of Normandy approached her wanting to shake hands, she said. "In my awkward French, I explained that I wasn't even born at the time of the Second World War, but that didn't matter; they simply wanted to say thanks for the freedom they have today."The group also presented a slideshow of Ontario's Highway of Heroes, where, as SAS member Denis Lanoue said, hundreds of Scarborough residents have stood on overpasses of Highway 401 "to honour soldiers from Afghanistan as they were brought home for their final rest."It's never enough to just remember Canada's military on Nov. 11, Scarborough-Agincourt Councillor Mike Del Grande, community council chairperson, concluded afterwards, urging people to "take every opportunity to remember the sacrifices they made for us."