Remembrance Day can be difficult for military, families
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | 2:01 PM AT
CBC News
The parents of Cpl. Chad O'Quinn say Remembrance Day is bittersweet as they remember their son, who died in Afghanistan in March 2009. (DND)Remembrance Day can be a difficult day for many military members and their families even as citizens pay tribute to the Canadian Forces, according to a CFB Gagetown officer.
New Brunswickers gathered around cenotaphs around the province on Wednesday, honouring those who have died in service to the country or participated in wars or peacekeeping missions around the globe.
However, Chief Warrant Officer Gary Foley, the co-ordinator of the Deployment Service Centre at CFB Gagetown, said Remembrance Day can be stressful for active military members and their families.
"In the military, it's a very small community," Foley said.
"It just brings to mind for some of them that potentially — hopefully not — but you know, they could be remembering someone they know next year."
Foley said keeping in touch with loved ones overseas and spending time with other military families can help make Remembrance Day easier to bear.
There have been 133 Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghanistan mission since it began.
Bittersweet day
And for some New Brunswick families, the sacrifices of war are still fresh.
It's a bittersweet Remembrance Day for Ken and Rhonda O'Quinn as they attend ceremonies in Oromocto.
Their son Cpl. Chad O'Quinn died while serving in Afghanistan in March 2009.
The couple say they're still struggling with their loss but Ken O'Quinn said he finds comfort in the tributes paid to soldiers at this time of the year.
He said he has received many letters and emails from people who said they remembered what his son did.
"Everybody I've seen in the last week or two, everybody's wearing a poppy," O'Quinn said.
"That tells me that everybody remembers, they want to remember, and ceremonies like this keeps it fresh in people's heads. It's something they'll never forget and that's a good thing."
