Under unseasonably warm November skies, thousands of Calgarians converged on Remembrance Day services across the city, participating in one of the largest gatherings The Military Museums has witnessed on November 11. The event blended traditional tributes to past sacrifices with urgent calls for vigilance in an increasingly unstable global landscape.
Record Turnout for Solemn Reflection
The parking and outdoor exhibition areas of The Military Museums were completely filled with attendees, marking one of the venue's most significant Remembrance Day turnouts. Before the formal ceremony began, crowds gathered around displays of armoured vehicles that served as tangible connections to the Second World War, Korean War, and various Canadian peacekeeping missions.
Steve Bristow, a Canadian peacekeeping veteran who served six months in Bosnia in 1994 with the Calgary-based Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), expressed his emotional response to the substantial public participation. "It's heartwarming and feels it's important to everyone that's here," said Bristow, who attended wearing his distinctive blue UN peacekeeper beret.
Personal Accounts and Global Warnings
Bristow shared haunting memories from his deployment, including the smell of death during exchanges of casualties between Bosnian combatants and delivering aid to abandoned mental hospital patients caught in the conflict between Serbs, Croats and Muslims. "That's the kind of stuff that floats under the radar," he noted, highlighting the often overlooked aspects of military service.
On the main stage, Colonel Robert Tessler of the 3rd Canadian Support Group addressed the crowd, connecting historical remembrance with contemporary concerns. While honoring the sacrifices of the Second World War—which claimed more than 45,000 Canadian lives—Tessler emphasized that the 80th anniversary of the war's end should also prompt serious consideration of current global threats.
"While the war ended in 1945, its impact lasted for decades... it's also about looking forward," Tessler stated, adding that Canada needs to stand firmly with its allies in the present climate.
Modern Military Commitments
The colonel's comments came amid federal government promises to significantly increase military spending and extend Canada's most substantial overseas military deployment until 2029. Currently, Canada's 2,000 troops in Latvia are leading a multinational force in the Baltic country aimed at deterring Russian aggression, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches its fourth year.
The conflict in Ukraine has directly impacted Canadians, with more than a dozen Canadian volunteers killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. These contemporary sacrifices added deeper resonance to the traditional commemorations of past wars.
As Calgarians stood together in unusually mild November weather, the ceremony successfully bridged generations—honoring those who served in historic conflicts while acknowledging the continuing need for military preparedness and international cooperation in today's complex global environment.
