The Port Elgin Remembrance Day ceremony was well attended, despite chilly temperatures. Hundreds lined the streets around the cenotaph to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during conflicts around the world. Among them was Warrant Officer Jonathan Sicord, who has served in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly 20 years, including stops in Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Bosnia. He says Remembrance Day is a chance for him to reflect and to pass his memories along to his young family. "I used today as a day of remembrance, remembering buddies I've served with, remembering those who came before us and laid this," says Sicord. "I like to spend it primarily with my family, keeping the memory alive." Sicord says the educational curriculum and the Royal Canadian Legion's poppy campaign are doing a good job keeping the spirit of Remembrance Day going, as the number of veterans of the world wars continues to shrink. "I think the way we teach it in schools, it's all over the news, I think it's a great thing," says Sicord. "I think you see it everywhere, you see the poppy as a perfect symbol for [Remembrance Day], and you see the schools, they do a lot of stuff with the schools."
---------- A highlight of the Mount Forest Cenotaph Service was the reading of the roll by Jenna Yake. She was wearing the uniform of her great-grandfather, the late Earl Nelson, a World War 2 veteran.
MC Bill Nelson said it is important to remember the service given by peacekeepers at home as well as overseas, including our police and other first responders.
Nelson congratulated the community on the large turnout at the Cenotaph despite the chilly weather.
