Tony Goering says considering what Vancouver’s veterans have done for Canada, helping them attend the ceremony that honours their sacrifice is the least they can do.
Goering is part of a group of men that has volunteered their time for the past 19 years to make sure veterans from Saint Vincent’s Hospital – Brock Fahrni Pavilion make it to the Vancouver Remembrance Day ceremony.
Last year they helped 13 veterans attend, but this year that number has dropped to seven after the passing of six men.
The group meet the veterans one week prior to Remembrance Day, and then on the day they take them to the ceremony, and after that to the Bourbon Street Pub on West Cordova Street, and encourage people to come down and meet them.
“To be around these veterans and listen to their stories, it’s just incredible,” says Goering.
“It’s great for the veterans because they get totally looked after, from gloves to extra scarves to medical care. Their families trust us with their veterans.”
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Spectators of the ceremony may remember seeing these veterans, as they always sit in the front row.
Goering says it’s great to see the look on the veterans’ faces as they see each other again and get to talk and swap stories. “For some, it’s the one and only day they get to go out,” he says. “When you see them out there, they’re all dressed up, they’re wearing all their medals.”
After the Bourbon they are then taken by HandyDART to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 30 in Kerrisdale, where they are fed a hot lunch, and get to watch and enjoy the Remembrance Day festivities, including the RCMP Pipe Band, and many other military bands. Goering says some can even get up and dance if they are able.
“The smile on their face, it’s just amazing,” he says.
Goering comes from a long line of military men – his uncle survived a torpedo attack and his grandfather was left for dead on a WWI battlefield. When he was recovering in a field hospital he met the woman that was to become his wife.
For Goering, the reaction from the veterans keeps bringing him back every year.
“There will be a time when we won’t have any left,” he says. “There’s no vets left from WWI.”
Full coverage of Global News’ Remembrance Day schedule.
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