A member of the Lethbridge Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart Branch has been bestowed one of the highest honours from the Kingdom of Belgium. Glenn Miller was made a Knight Order of the Crown on Thursday, March 9th.
Awarded to both Belgians and foreign nationals, the Knight Order of the Crown is given to those who have distinguished themselves in artistic, literary and scientific work, as well as in industrial and commercial enterprise. Miller says while he has known about it for nearly half a year, he is still coming to terms with what it means to him personally.
“I’m quite humbled by being recognized by another country for the work I’ve done, and how they value the importance of passing on remembrance to the youth, it means quite a bit,” he says. “I was informed by the ambassador when he was in Lethbridge for the dedication of the Legacy of Alberta bronze statue, and he informed me that he submitted my name for the order.”
Miller, who is also the President of the Lethbridge United Services Institute, says as he was taking in the ceremony on March 9th, listening to the summary of events highlighting his past work, the memories of those events came flooding back. He says while he will be forever grateful for the recognition, he hopes that the work he has done will ultimately culminate in his work surrounding veterans and Remembrance Day will continue to be appreciated by the next generation.
“Having the youth participate and engaged so the next generation so that the next generation appreciates the service, sacrifice and commitment for those who came before them,” he adds.
The ceremony took place March 9th during the official opening of the Honorary Consulate in Edmonton, which also introduced Lori Schmidt as the Honorary Consul of Belgium in Edmonton in partnership with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.