In honour of Remembrance Day, hundreds of people in Regina paid their respects to soldiers who gave their lives to serve Canada through various ceremonies on Wednesday. Remembrance Day holds a personal meaning to many people in Regina, specifically Kevin Neigum whose father served in the Second World War. “My father is a World War II veteran. This has been important to me and my family to come to these things every year,” Neigum said. Every year, he and his family attend the city’s indoor Remembrance Day ceremony in the Brandt Centre at the REAL District. However, with this year’s weather being not too cold, Neigum said the group chose to pay their respects at Victoria Park instead. “It’s a nice family event for us every year. I’m glad that the kids who aren’t kids anymore are still able to come with us,” Neigum said. Hundreds of other people and families also attended the downtown service. “It was really great to see a big crowd out. I think it’s really important to pay tribute and honor those who have served and who do continue to serve for our country,” said Kassandra Lawrenz. Captain (Navy) Bryan Price, commander of the naval reserve for the northern and western region for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), said the national day is important every year. However, with this year’s ceremony falling weeks after the tragedy at CFB Wainwright - where four soldiers died and dozens were seriously injured following a runaway fire during a training exercise - Price said it is a reminder that soldiers are continuing to be trained to protect Canadians and their freedoms. “I think it’s always important. I think it gives really poignant focus to the fact four fallen soldiers that happened in Wainwright,” Price told reporters Wednesday morning. “… We are very much a large family in the military, whether we serve the colour of our uniform, the service that we’re in, it’s always important to remember … that our men and women around the world, and across Canada, are sometimes in areas that are very tough, very dangerous, we need to be paying attention to that.” With many kids attending the service, Price added it is critical for youth to remember and understand how many soldiers who fought for Canada, as they are the next generation. “We are very fortunate to live in this country,” he expressed. “We have a very diverse and outstanding group of people that make up our armed forces and as these youth come up, it’s really important that we help them understand where we’ve come from as they will serve the basis of where we’re going to go in the future.”
