A solemn Remembrance Day service at Calgary’s Hangar Flight Museum on Wednesday honoured the sacrifice of millions of servicemen and women in the Canadian military. It also recognized the deaths of four young men killed in a recent tragedy at CFB Wainwright. “My heart goes out to their families, friends and fellow soldiers,” said Calgary-McKnight MP Dalwinder Gill. “My thoughts are also with the 39 soldiers injured out of Wainwright and the families standing beside them.” On Oct. 17, Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark were killed in a fire in the training area during a combat training mission for troops heading to Latvia. “We also remember today those young, brave men who we lost in Wainwright,” said Calgary’s Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal. “We owe you thanks, we owe you respect and we owe you the freedoms that we cherish today. So, thank you to all those veterans.” Military experts say Remembrance Day and the recent tragedy illustrate how important observing the event needs to be. “I think Canadians have to remember how much our veterans have given us and what we, unfortunately, will have to call upon future veterans to give,” said the University of Calgary’s Rob Huebert. Huebert said the recognition of the sacrifice of the four young men in Wainwright emphasizes the willingness for service members to lay down their lives for freedom. “Everyone has recognized a loss that occurred at Wainwright, both in terms of those killed and wounded, but what we have to remember is they were deploying to Latvia.” He said Canada’s mission there is a defence against possible Russian expansion in the region. “A recently released security policy says the possibility of war is increasing, and I think this is something all Canadians have to be aware of,” Huebert said. Ceremony at the Hangar Flight Museum The Remembrance Day ceremony at the northeast Calgary museum took place at 10:30 a.m. on what was once the parade square for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The facility features a litany of artifacts from Western Canada’s aviation history, including multiple aircraft all housed in a former training hall. The museum is open for all visitors throughout the day with admission by donation until 4 p.m.
