A poppy flag flying outside city hall commemorates the start of Veterans Week, leading up to Remembrance Day. Glenn Miller with the Royal Canadian Legion says there will be activities throughout the week and the flag is a reminder to appreciate the freedom we have in Canada.
“Whenever you see a poppy flag, or you see other people wearing a poppy, glance down and look at yourself, sometimes your poppy is not there, poppies are always free, and we encourage you to just wear a poppy to show your appreciation for the freedom that we enjoy today,” Miller says.
The poppy drive started in the last week of October and the Legion is focused on getting people to wear a poppy this year.
“Donations are fine, but the priority is just grab a poppy and please wear it. Poppies are free, we don’t ask anybody to pay,” says Jeff Alden, poppy chair for the Royal Canadian Legion Br. No. 4. “A poppy is a symbol of remembrance of the sacrifices of the veterans that went before us, what they gave to give us the freedoms to walk around the city, to have an education, to go to school where you want to go to school, study the religion you want to study, do the things you want to do.”
He adds he does not want people to see Remembrance Day as an endorsement of war, but rather as a day to remember veterans and their sacrifices.
“Veterans are being created every day and that’s one of the things that people forget,” Alden says. “We have a lot of peacekeepers out there that have active service, however, did not carry a weapon.”
Events for the week include veterans visiting local schools to speak, the Lethbridge Hurricanes veteran’s hockey game on Nov. 10 and Remembrance Day ceremonies.