Veterans’ Week 2014 –
Main Speech for Teens (12 min)
Ø Acknowledge the host/organizers, honoured veterans, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Ø Introduce yourself by rank, name, unit, and military occupation.
Ø Speak slowly and clearly, varying the pitch and tone of your voice.
Ø 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, everyone. 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].
Introduction
Thank you again for inviting me here to speak about why it is so important to remember the sacrifices made by the men and women of our nation’s military over the years. Sacrifices made in many conflicts around the world - most recently, in Afghanistan.
These were sacrifices - hardship, suffering, loss of life - made to keep our country strong and free. Sacrifices that let you live your life in relative comfort and peace, here in [name of location]. Sacrifices that permit you to choose what you want to be and how you want to live your life.
Perhaps I can sum up the importance of remembering those sacrifices in just three words:
“Lest We Forget”. [Pause]
Lest We Forget – First World War Origins
In the 1920’s “Lest We Forget” became a plea not to forget the sacrifices made during the First World War - a war unlike any ever seen before that time. Of the more than half a million Canadians who served in Canada’s military, one in every ten were killed, while more than one in four were wounded. [ Look around you and try to imagine what that must have been like, with at least two wounded and one dead amongst each group of ten people here today.]
In every war, we have paid a tremendous price to be reminded that freedom is something we need to be prepared to defend. To be reminded that it is not to be taken for granted. Freedom comes with the responsibility to guard it against those who would take it away.
Generations of veterans, through their courage, determination and sacrifice, have helped to ensure that you and I continue to live in a free and peaceful country. But hundreds of thousands of Canadians have had to take a stand to protect our freedom and tens of thousands have died protecting it for us.
Lest We Forget.
Lest We Forget is a warning of the danger in forgetting lessons learned during the First World War - and all of the struggles and conflicts since. It is a warning for us to keep a careful watch over our hard-won freedoms, a warning to be prepared to defend our freedoms…to avoid suffering the same deadly consequences yet again.
This is why Canada is marking the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War this year. Because, even though no veterans of that war remain alive today, we must never forget the terrible price they paid for the freedoms we enjoy today.
The Second World War
And we must never forget the sacrifice of the more than one million Canadians who served in the Second World War. The few who are still alive today carry the memories of the deadliest military conflict in human history. A conflict which engulfed the entire world and claimed the lives of 60 million people - almost twice the population of Canada! A conflict that changed the world forever.
If we are not careful, the memories of their heroic deeds and sacrifices and the reasons why they answered the call to fight for freedom may also disappear.
We should never forget through most of the five years of that war, the future of the entire free world looked very bleak indeed. For a time, it looked like we might lose that war, as Nazi Germany and its allies sought world domination. While millions of people were being systematically murdered in concentration camps across Europe and in other regions of the world, freedom was being destroyed.
We can thank those brave Canadians who gave up the safety and comfort of their homes to courageously stand up against the face of tyranny and fight for the cause of freedom. They helped shape the country you and I live in today.
Lest We Forget.
The Cold War, Korean War and Peacekeeping Missions
From the end of the Second World War until the late-1980s, under the constant threat of nuclear war during the Cold War, Canadian men and women in uniform remained stationed on the front lines of freedom’s borders in Europe and deployed around the world, wherever they were needed. Throughout this period they responded time after time to help stabilize international crises, often in support of the United Nations. Whether in combat during the Korean War, where hundreds of Canadians were killed in fierce fighting, or placed in harms way in more than 30 dangerous peacekeeping missions around the world, members of Canada’s military helped ensure that those at home in Canada could go to school, work and play in peace.
Since the 1990s, Canadian veterans witnessed firsthand the horrors and atrocities of war and genocide around the globe. In places such as Rwanda, Cambodia and the former Republic of Yugoslavia, among many others, Canadian Armed Forces members were sent to safeguard human rights, freedom and the rule of law. Some lost their lives. Others returned home wounded. Many others will carry what they have seen and experienced, seared into their memories, for the rest of their lives.
We should never forget.
Afghanistan
Our world changed again in 2001. I’m sure that many of us here still remember vividly the images from September 11, 2001, as hijacked airplanes were flown into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in an attack on America by Al Qaeda terrorists. The War on Terror was declared... and Canada once again sent its troops to war. This time, into Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda had plotted its attacks on the west and remained in hiding.
More than 40 thousand Canadian men and women left their homes to help bring hope, democracy and the rule of law to a country that threatened world stability.
158 Canadians died during the 12-year long conflict in Afghanistan. And more than 2,000 other veterans returned home wounded, either physically or suffering from emotional trauma due to what they witnessed and endured during their time at war. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have committed themselves to the care and support of these ill and injured members, as well as their families and the families of the fallen. But their sacrifices should not be forgotten.
With the declaration of a National Day of Honour earlier this year, Canada acknowledged the sacrifices made by those who fought in Afghanistan and the price paid by their families.
The service of those who made the ultimate sacrifice is being recognized through the Afghanistan Memorial Vigil. Comprised of plaques that were formerly part of the Kandahar Air Field cenotaph, this memorial serves to remember and honour those who have fallen in Afghanistan and has been travelling across Canada and the United States since last May.
During this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa, a rededication of the National War Memorial will take place. As we all know, the memorial symbolizes the sacrifice of all Canadians who have served Canada in time of war in the cause of peace and freedom.The rededication ceremony will include the unveiling of a new “In Service to Canada” inscription as well as the dates of the South African War from 1899 to 1902, and the Afghanistan War from 2001-2014.
In the wake of recent tragic events involving Canadian Armed Forces members that took place in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and at the National War Memorial, it is important that we all reflect on the sacrifices made by our military personnel serving every day, whether it be at home or abroad. Let us stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for our freedom and democratic rights.
Lest We Forget.
Remembrance and the Modern-day Veterans
As earlier generations grow older and their ranks grow thin, the presence of modern-day veterans will help remind Canadians of the cost of maintaining the freedoms and the way of life we hold so dear in Canada.
Every day, while you rest, work or play, Canada’s sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen continue to watch over the security interests of Canada, both here at home and around the world. At home in North America, Canadians in uniform keep a watch over our skies. Others monitor our ocean approaches. Still others remain on standby to respond immediately to potential crises, such as forest fires, floods, avalanches, hurricanes, and terrorist attacks that can affect the security and safety of Canadians like you. Around the world, working in coalitions and alliances, Canada’s military is contributing to the response to the crisis in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East, the tensions in the Pacific, and the ongoing war on terrorism. Keeping our Canada strong and free.
Canada is rated as one of the best countries in the world to live in. Across this great country, from the Atlantic, to the Arctic, to the Pacific Oceans, Canadians enjoy more freedoms than most, anywhere on earth. As such, we owe it to veterans never to forget their sacrifices which made this possible. We also owe it to veterans to learn about the sacrifices they made and how they stood up to the enormous challenges they faced. And, finally, we owe it to veterans to ensure we understand the high cost we pay for freedom when we are not properly prepared to defend our way of life.
Acts of remembrance can be simple. Most veterans and their families simply want to know that their sacrifices were not in vain. They want to know that people appreciate that our freedoms have been hard fought for and understand they should be jealously guarded. You can find websites [Veterans Affairs / Legions] to show how you can help honour the sacrifices of veterans and their families. Or you can simply take a moment to think about what kind of life you would have today if you did not enjoy your personal freedoms….and whisper “Thank You” the next time you see a veteran.
But do take the time to pause and reflect.
Do take the time to remember.
It is important.
Why?
I could sum it up in just three words …
“Lest We Forget”.
Thank you.
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