He was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things to protect our freedom, our democracy and the rule of law.  He did so without hesitation and without reservation.  John “Jack” Babcock, Canada’s last known First World War Veteran, recently passed at age 109.  His family mourns the passing of a great man.  Canada mourns the passing of that generation the saw our coming of age as a nation, marking the end of an era.  Mr. Babcock was the last living link to the Canadian men and women who served in the Great War.  These World War I Veterans paid dearly for the freedom that we enjoy.  Today, they’re all gone.  We should all take this opportunity to remember our nation’s debt of gratitude toward the men and women who served in the First World War. 

Canada’s contribution to the First World War helped define us as a nation and shape the country in which we live today.  Between 1914 and 1918, more than 650,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders joined the military fight in the “War to End All Wars.”  More than 170,000 were injured and more than 68,000 lost their lives in costly battles such as those at Beaumont-Hamel and Passchendaele.  The war these Veterans fought was completely different from present day conflicts.  Fighting a war in the crowded and dirty trenches meant enduring knee-deep mud, razor-sharp barbed wire and crippling shrapnel- all in the cold and wet ‘no man’s land’. 

To mark the “end of an era”, on March 2nd, the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, announced that a national commemorative service will be held in Ottawa April 9, 2010, also underlining the significance of Vimy Ridge Day.  International commemorative ceremonies will also take place at both the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, in France and at the Canada Memorial at Green Park, in London, England.  In addition to these ceremonies, Saskatchewan plans to conduct a commemorative ceremony on April 12, 2010 at 12:30 pm at the Saskatchewan Legislature and First World War Monument, 2405 Legislative Drive, Regina, Saskatchewan.

The public will have the opportunity to pay their respects by signing special Books of Reflection that will be on display at locations across Canada, including Parliament Hill, Rideau Hall, the Canadian War Museum as well as at the Saskatchewan Legislature.  Books will also be available overseas at the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial National Historic Site, Canada House in London, England, and at the Canadian Forces Base in Kandahar. An online version of the Books of Reflection will also be available on the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site at www.vac-acc.gc.ca. 

Our WWI Veterans were men and women who gave everything they had for everything we have.  A quote from the poem “In Flanders Fields” says, “To you from flailing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.”  It is our duty as Canadians to remember why John “Jack” Babcock and the other 650,000 Canadian WWI Veterans fought for our country.  It is our duty as Canadians to teach ourselves and our children about our past, so we can ensure we have learned all we can for the future.  It is our duty as Canadians to hold the torch of remembrance high.