A solemn Remembrance Day ceremony was held for the 42 veterans of the Second World War and Korean War who reside at the Veterans Hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
The special dedication was held to honour the sacrifices Canada’s war dead made in both wars to defend the country.
The ceremony was especially poignant for Howard McNamara, a retired fighter pilot for the RCAF in the Second World War.
“It’s a day to remember the boys who aren’t here,” McNamara said.
He enlisted in the war with his brother more than 80 years ago, both of them on active duty.
“I lost my brother over France when he was 21,” McNamara said.
The head physician for the veterans at the hospital says some of veterans from the hospital still travel to Europe for special Remembrance Day ceremonies and significant anniversaries related to the Second World War.
“We bring them to the cemetery and to the ceremonies and it’s extremely moving for them to still very touched and upset from the fact that they have the survivor’s guilt syndrome,” Dr. Geneviève Richer, the chief physician told Global News.
According to Veterans Affairs Canada, there are more than 25,000 surviving veterans in Canada from the Second World War or the Korean War.
Ceremonies across the country are planned throughout week leading up to Remembrance Day on Nov. 11th.