'It is our duty to remember them:' Charlottetown's moving Remembrance Day ceremony

Thousands of Islanders attended Friday's Remembrance Day ceremony in Charlottetown which included a 21-gun salute, dozens of memorial wreaths and many moving stories of Islanders involvement in conflicts of the past century from the First World War to Afghanistan.

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Members of the Royal Canadian Legion,HMCSQueen Charlotte, the Prince Edward Island Regiment,RCMP, Charlottetown Police Service, Sea andArmyCadets as well as the Knights of Columbus paraded to the drums of the P.E.I. Regimental Band. Veterans unable to march watched closely from a parked bus. KentMacDonaldof the Charlottetown Legion, a veteran himself, emceed the event.

'It is our duty to remember them'

"They saw service and sacrifice as a duty. It is our duty to remember them," saidCapt. Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton. "Let us remember them, lest we forget."

"We pray that they will return safely," said Rev. Greg Davis, padre for theHMCSQueenCharlottte, in his prayer or reflection, speaking of those currently serving.

"Many of us here cannot fully imagine the experience of war, other than what we see in the movies," Davis noted.

Lt. Governor Frank Lewis laid the first wreath, followed by dozens of politicians, military personnel, service groups, Korean War veterans. At the end, veterans were invited to place wreaths themselves, and were greeted by a hugeroundof applause from the crowd lasting several minutes.

'She knew the risks'

The Memorial Silver Cross was laid by SallyGoddardin memory of her daughterCapt.NicholaGoddard, killed in Afghanistan in 2006, the first Canadian female combat solider to be killed and first Canadian woman to be killed in action sincethe Second World War. The Silver Cross commemorates and stands for the mothers of all Canada's fallen, MacDonald told the crowd.

"She loved her job, knew the risks, and was a respected leader," saidMacDonald.

After the service Islanders were invited to Veteran Affairs Canada's Daniel J. MacDonald building and then to theCharlottetown Legion to meet and talk with veterans.This is the one day most veterans come to the Legion. MacDonaldsaid.

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