Lest We Forget

Today is Veteran’s Day in the US. In Canada, we refer to it as Remembrance Day. It’s a day to give thanks for the price paid for freedom. A day to reflect on what our freedom means to us, and how we can actively walk toward a future without war.

It’s a day of homage and sorrow, a day to repent and to rejoice.

My Great Uncle Robert served in WWII. He drove a tank. The average life expectancy for a tank driver was ninety days. Uncle Robert drove that tank from Africa to Italy for three and a half years.

He survived and lived to a good age. He rarely spoke of the war, even when asked. He would shake his head and look away. So when he did choose to talk about those dark and dangerous years, we listened.

He told us a story about how his boots saved his life.

The Canadian Army trained all recruits to tie their boots in a specific pattern as part of the uniform. This was drilled into them in boot camp and strictly enforced at all times. If a solider slacked off, he was immediately reprimanded. Uncle Robert was no exception. He learned to tie his boots as prescribed by the Canadian Army. Then he was sent to overseas to drive a tank.

Somewhere between Egypt and Turkey his troop stopped and made camp for the night. Uncle Robert was to take second watch. When it was his turn, he dressed and tied his bootlaces the Canadian way. He grabbed his gun and took up his watch.

It was too dark to see more than a foot in front of him, and he spent a couple of hours staring into the nothingness. As he stood on a small rocky outcrop he suddenly felt a knife at his throat. He had seen nothing, heard nothing, yet there he was, his life hanging on a thin blade. Uncle Robert knew who was behind him, knew it could only be a member of the famous Gurkha fighters, brave, highly trained men from India whose reputation for fearlessness, stealth, and strength were legendary.

The Gurkah solider held the knife at Uncle Robert’s throat and ran his hand down Robert’s leg. He felt the front of one of the boots. After a moment the blade left Uncle Robert’s throat and a man whispered, “Carry on Canada.” When Robert turned around the man had vanished without a trace as silently as he had come.

On this Remembrance Day, on this Veteran’s Day, we remember the ideals and the principles men and women fought and died for. We celebrate the lives given so that we can live in freedom.

As you honor the fallen, spend some time thinking about Uncle Robert’s bootlaces, the identifying factor that saved his life and ask yourself; what about me identifies me with hope, faith, and love? What defining factor in your life can people look at and know without doubt that you have peace, joy, and grace abiding in you?

As we honor and remember today, we invite you to share your stories of the heroes you know who fought for us all. We look forward to reading your stories of thankfulness.

Lest we forget.