Veterans’ Week 2014 –
Children’s Speech - (5 min)
Acknowledge the host/organizers, honoured veterans, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Introduce yourself by rank, name, unit, and military occupation.
Speak slowly and clearly, varying the pitch and tone of your voice.
Include pauses; they allow the audience time to catch up before you move on to another segment of the speech
Protocol
Good morning/afternoon/evening, boys and girls. I am [name, full name] and I am a [military occupation] with the Canadian Armed Forces, stationed at [name of wing, garrison, or base]. Thank you for inviting me [to your Remembrance Day ceremony today], [to speak to you about Canada’s veterans, Veterans’ Week and the importance of remembrance], or [to participate in your Veterans’ Week celebrations today].
As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces [you can also add a few concise paragraphs on why you are in the Canadian Armed Forces, your deployment experience and a few highlights of your career]. ]. For this age group, keep it very simple and use vocabulary they can comprehend.
Introduction
Remembrance Day is one of the most important days of the year. It is a day when we stop and think about the people who have served in the military to protect us and the country we live in. All of them risked their lives - and some of them were badly hurt or have died while protecting our country.
Maybe some of you have parents or grandparents who were in the military. It is very important for us to remember those brave men and women - the soldiers in the Army on the land, the sailors in the Navy’s ships on the seas, and the people in the Air Force who fly airplanes - and remember what they have done to protect us over the years.
Whenever there has been a danger to our country, these brave men and women have left their families and the comfort and safety of their homes and have gone to dangerous places in order to protect us. Some of them fought for our country a long time ago. Even though there may no longer be anyone still living who fought in the First World War 100 years ago, or only a few remaining from the Second World War or the Korean War, we can never forget them or what they have done for us.
They suffered hardships, loneliness, injuries and even loss of life - to keep our country strong and free. They suffered so that you could live your life, go to school, and play in safety, here in [name of location]. They suffered so that we have the freedom to choose how to live our lives.
Most recently, our military heroes were in Afghanistan, a country on the other side of the world.They were fighting against an enemy so that boys and girls there could go to school, like you, and so their families could live in peace and have the freedom to choose to do what they wanted to do.
Canada has always needed brave people like them, to stand up against countries that do not allow their people to be free. Some of our brave men and women did not come back. Sadly, 158 Canadians gave their lives serving our country during this war in Afghanistan and many more were hurt there. We need to remember them and be thankful for what they have done for us.
There is an old phrase that we say when we remember the people who fought in the wars. The phrase is “Lest We Forget”.
Lest We Forget is a warning for us not to forget those people who gave up everything they had in order to fight for what was right. We must never forget what they have done for us. Without them we would not have the freedom to choose what we want to be when we grow up. Without them we would not be able to sing and play and go to school like we do now. Without them the world would be a sadder place.
So each year we gather together on Remembrance Day and pause to think on what our world would be like if it were not for the brave men and women who went to dangerous places and risked their lives to make sure we remained safe here in Canada.
And we quietly thank them for what they have given up in order for us to live our lives the way we do…. Lest We Forget.
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