Hundreds gathered under cloudy skies Tuesday morning at Windsor’s cenotaph to remember Canada’s fallen soldiers and those who continue to serve. The city’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony drew veterans, active members of the Canadian Armed Forces, families, and community members — all falling silent as the bugle sounded across the square. Among them was Sailor First Class Dylan Nickolson, a member of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve unit at HMCS Hunter, taking part in the ceremony for the first time as a sentry. “It’s a real honour to be chosen to be the sentry and to represent your service,” Nickolson said. “We’re standing there at the cenotaph, really standing in the shadow of the brave men and women who have come before us.” One of those who came before him is 89-year-old Dona Parent, a Windsor veteran who served with the Canadian Armed Forces in Germany and Cyprus during the 1960s. “I’m just glad I could come here,” Parent said. “You know, at a certain age, you’re not able to get out here, but I’m just thrilled to be out here with all my comrades.” Parent said the ceremony always brings back emotion, particularly during the moment of silence. “We think of what happened years ago during the First and Second World War,” he said. “All those guys, and they just kept going… We got a moment’s silence. Just think of what they were doing at that moment. It is quite an emotional thing.” He added that he’s encouraged to see young people continuing to attend and take part. “I’m glad that the kids are coming out — they’re starting to realize more and more how precious peace really is.” This year’s ceremony also included a wreath honouring the No. 2 Construction Battalion — a Black Canadian unit that served in the First World War and went unrecognized for decades. Barb Porter, vice chair of the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, said she was proud to lay it in tribute to her own family’s service. “I think about my grandfather was part of this battalion, and two of my great uncles,” Porter said. “And so, I think about what they endured helping and fighting.”
