Good evening all...
Well we are finally home and yes it was a long day, not just for a couple of seniors like us but everyone that took part.
I would say everything we saw went off without a hitch and what an attendance, record crowds, and the young people, yes the young people, teenagers, they sure earned our respect to-day, they filled the crowd and participated where and when they could.
I guess we can honestly say there is still hope for mankind yet. ;)
After the parade of veterans and military people, scouts, guides and cadets we all tried to get into the Royal Canadian Legion, it was standing room only with so many folks out in the parking lot.
We then mingled for several hours and then the old girl and I paid our respects to the local bug smasher field where there were more club members and guests than you would find at a regular meeting!
Leaving there we attended the Royal Canadian Legion Dinner which was hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and as always the meal was superb with an excellent guest speaker.
We met old friends and we missed some old friends, I am sure they were visiting other services as we have not seen their names posted in the "Last Post".
I had the privilege of speaking to several young (very young) Army Privates who were on course at the local Armed Forces Base (CFB Trenton formerly Royal Canadian Air Force Station Trenton) as I knew it and being amongst the junior service they certainly had their opinions of the Air Element. ;D LMAO
It was all in good fun though...hell I haven't been called a pigeon in a long long time.
We missed our children who never miss a Remembrance Day Service where ever they are stationed, but three of them are out of the country on foreign service and one I was told not to ask where he was going, so we didn't. However, as parents we miss them all on days like this.
I guess in closing, I myself think Remembrance Day is everyday, not just one day a year which happens to be to-day.
Seeing and hearing what we did to-day, sure I think there is hope for the future of mankind, we must keep in mind politicians start wars and these folks need to be educated in reality, it's members of all branches of the Armed Services that end the wars politicians start.
So, where does Simviation fit into this little topic, well in my humble opinion it is the forums, forums just like this one that help educate the younger generation and rekindle memories of the older members so that the same mistakes are not repeated.
Many members like to fly the fighter aircraft, fire the weapons and drop the bombs, the bigger the bang the better. The military aircraft just like a ship or tank is a tool of the trade, keep in mind they are not always used for destruction, we had a Canadian Forces CF-18 fly blood from one side of the country to another location to save a child in a sick childrens hospital, no airliner could have done that so quickly, and the weather was atrocious. How many times does weapons of war and destruction help aid the civil power...lots and lots and lots. Search and Rescue, done by the military here in Canada, these folks put their lives on the line all the time but we seldom hear about it.
I think the forums do play a role in the every day lives of the members here at Simviation, real life situations and information is shared, new ideas formed about aviation in the real world and not what hollywood or the movie producers would like you to believe in.
Well folks there is my two cents worth and I hope you got as much out of to-day as I did.
Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug
