Today is Vimy Ridge Day, a day to remember the sacrifices made by Canadians and Canada in World War One.
For most Canadians it is just another day, many would have a hard time telling you what it was about and I daresay few know the horrific number of young men, some 5600, many of them teenagers that lost their lives.
Today we are involved in a different kind of war, we are fighting a pandemic and its tragic consequences for those that become ill with COVID-19- especially our seniors.
As I write this there have been 472 deaths from COVID-19. Tragic for everyone concerned, especially family members. Some government projections say that 11,000- 22,000 could die before this disease runs its course. Our nation is in shock at these numbers and only now starting to get a handle on things and truly mobilize to fight this disease.
Vimy Ridge Day gives us a chance to remember the sacrifices made by an earlier generation for our country. One can only imagine the impact on Canadian families in 1916 when Canada had a much smaller population of approximately 8 million people.
There were many more battles besides Vimy Ridge and many more casualties. The Battle for Hill 70 which took place a few months later saw 9200 Canadians killed. In total 61,000 Canadians would die in World War One between 1914 and 1918.
For all of the present generation who are moaning and groaning about having to stay 6 feet apart or having to stay in your homes watching TV- it is time to grow up and think about the sacrifices made by thousands of Canadian families before you. They buckled down and got through it and so will you.