For over 20 years, St. Joseph’s at Fleming long-term care facility has held an early Remembrance Day service for its residents.
Interim St. Joseph’s CEO Carolyn Rodd says veterans must not be forgotten and the indoor service is an effort to allow residents, some of whom are veterans, to mark the day without risking the weather at the Peterborough Cenotaph on Nov. 11. It’s held during the week to enable representatives of the armed forces to attend with a colour party and piper.
“It’s getting harder and harder for our residents to get out to the cenotaph every year, so we make sure that everything that happens at the cenotaph happens here,” said Rodd.
One of the resident veterans at Thursday’s ceremony was Don Phillips, who served in the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during the Second World War. He first went into action on D-Day in June 1944. His war ended several months later while clearing a Dutch town of the enemy. His unit was subjected to a sharp barrage of German mortar bombs and Phillips was hit.
“The concussion of the bomb just picked me right out and threw me to the ground, I landed on my shoulder. When I got up after that, then a bomb fragment came along and hit me in the hip, piece of shrapnel, fractured my hip,” said Phillips.
Phillips’ son, Gord, also attended Thursday’s ceremony of remembrance and says it’s important to remember what Canadians like his father did for this country by joining up.
“It really talks about a commitment to country, about patriotism, of individuals like my father, who actually … lied about his age to get into the war and a lot of individuals did it at that time, and it talks about commitment to community,” said Gord Phillips.
There are 16 veterans living at St. Joseph’s at Fleming.