In Canada, November 11th is Remembrance Day. A day when Canadians are to reflect on the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, in the Canadian military in times of conflict and in times of peace. This is a day that is observed in other Commonwealth countries as well.

At 11:00 AM local time, Canadians are asked to mark a minute of silence to think about those who fell in the many wars, conflicts and peace keeping missions where Canada sent personnel. When I was a boy, those thoughts turned to those lost in World War I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. Today, our thoughts also include those killed and injured in more recent missions in Cyprus, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and other hot spots around the world.

The date and time of 11:00 AM on November 11th is historically significant. For on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918, an armistice was signed that brought an end to World War I, at least on the Western Front.

As my way of remembering those who faced the horrors of war and acted as barriers between combatants to keep a fragile peace, let me share this video of a young Belgium boy saluting a platoon of Canadian soldiers. Know that in my mind, I too am standing on the curb saluting the troops as they march past.