Remembrance more than a byword for veteran’s initiative


BY NIKKI JAMIESON insight magazine


It can be hard work unearthing the past,


but it’s rewarding to discover their stories. The Stories of Our Service project was


started in 2017,when Warrant Officer (ret’d) Glenn Miller,who was working in then-Little Bow MLA David Schneider’s office at the time,had come over to the Gem of the West Museum to look at the Coaldale Military Honour Roles on display.Coaldale communi- ty manager Cindy Hoffman, whose office is in that building, had joined him, and found that while many of the family names sound- ed familiar to her,she had no idea they had served. “It struck me that although I had heard of these family names, I had no idea that mem- bers of these local families and neighbours had served.On reflecting further, it also struck me that many of us take for granted how we are able to live our lives today with all the freedoms and the many opportunities that we have in this community and in Canada. If it were not for these brave men


and women who, at very young ages, left their families and communities to defend our way of life,we all may be living quite dif- ferent lives today,”said Hoffman.“I also noted that you never really hear anyone even talk about the wars or the soldiers who have and are fighting in them, even though these are some of the most brave and impor- tant people in our country. It was at this point that I decided that if I could, I would try to introduce our local heroes to the residents of Coaldale and surrounding area and do my very best to ensure that our veterans would not be forgotten.” In 2017, they had a list of more than 160 names gathered from Coaldale Honour Roles, but they only had information on one bomber pilot,Veral Clarence Bullock, whose biography was found on a framed photo of him created by the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation that was tucked away in a corner at the museum. With the help of a few families and Miller, when they unveiled the first tribute video at Coaldale’s Rembrance Day ceremony in


Words can’t say just how much we appreciate and respect our nation’s veterans for their service.


We would like to take a moment to salute the brave men and women who have served, and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifi ce for their country.


We recognize their courage, hard work and dedication to our nation’s security, and we are humbled by their sacrifi ce. Today and every day, we proudly salute Canada’s veterans.


To All of


Our Nation’s Veterans, T ank You


The Christian Heritage Party of Canada Parti de I’Héritage Chrétien du Canada


8 - insight magazine june 2020


2017, they were able to high-


light "a handful" of the community’s veter- ans.The next year, after meeting with more families with photos and stories of a loved one who served,19 veterans were featured. “So far this year, I have gathered informa- tion on 24 additional veterans.Again, since it is so difficult to find information, details may only include division or rank or maybe just a picture, but even this little bit of information allows us to start to get to know who these brave individuals are.” While the original goal was to create a


biography of WWI and WWII veterans, similar to what they had on Bullock, the scope has extended to any veterans in the Coaldale community, although Hoffman still hopes to create a biography for each one, something she acknowledges is difficult due to the lim- ited information available. When she began looking into some of the names they had, she quickly discovered that information for individual veterans was very


Lest We Forget


Canadian soldiers fought and died for justice,


freedom, and our heritage...


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