How Do You Remember?

Regular readers of this space will know that today I do not post items related to K-12 distance, online, and/or blended learning.  Today is Remembrance Day.

While I’ve always had a deep appreciation for veterans – between my grandfather and my great uncle Rupert, and my first political boss Senator Jack Marshall – it wasn’t until approximately 25 years ago both my grandfather and I joined the Royal Canadian Legion.

As a veteran, he joined as an ordinary member, and as the grandson of a veteran, I joined as an associate member.  At that time there was a branch in Gambo, which was about an hour from where he lived, and my grandfather used to attend all of his branch meetings.  A couple of years later the Gambo branch closed, and all of its members would be transferred to Eastport – another 40 minutes further away from where my grandfather lived.  It was shortly thereafter that he stopped renewing his membership, with no physical branch to be active with.  Granted, he was still active in the community – attending each cadet annual inspection, the local school’s Remembrance Day assembly, and the community Remembrance Day at the cenotaph each and every year.

My involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion was slightly different.  I decided to join the local branch in Portugal Cove where my parents lived (as that was where I was residing at the time). A couple of years later I would transfer my membership to the Bonavista branch after I accepted a teaching position there.  However, it wasn’t until my last year in Bonavista that I became active in my local branch.  I suspect one of the reasons was because on Remembrance Day, which is generally the Legion‘s busiest time of year, I would always make the three hour drive over to be with my grandfather.  While there was a brief pause in this practice while I was completing my doctorate in Georgia, for most of the six years that I lived in Windsor, I would always return to be with my grandfather on Remembrance Day.  This also meant that I just maintained my membership in the Bonavista branch throughout the entire time I was in Georgia and Ontario, and simply was not active in any branch.

It wasn’t until two moves later, which was also six years after my grandfather had passed away, when I came to the San Francisco Bay area and discovered that there was a local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion  that I became actively involved  to honor the memory of my grandfather.  Since coming to California I have held a number of leadership roles in our local branch (i.e., Branch 25 – San Francisco), as well as within the western US international zone.  As the Poppy Chair for our branch, over the past six years we have distributed more than 5000 poppies to Canadians throughout the Bay Area, and really across the entire United States – as I frequently get emails from ex-pats in all corners of the country that are looking for poppies to wear for Remembrance Day.

Throughout the pandemic, I coordinated and created a number of virtual services to mark memorial day, commemoration day, and remembrance day (both for the branch and for my university and their Veterans Day services) – in fact even as the pandemic has waned, our branch has continued to stream our services for those who are unable to join us in person.

As I reflect on these efforts throughout the day, I think of my grandfather often.  All of these activities have been undertaken to honor my grandfather while he was alive, and his memory now that he has passed.

Touro University California – Virtual Veterans Day Service 2021

Over the past two months, and particularly over the past 10 days, when I wasn’t preparing for the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25 – Remembrance Day Service 2021, I was helping to plan and coordinate the Virtual Veterans Day Service 2021 at Touro University California.  While restrictions are starting to be lifted, when the Military Club members and faculty advisor – and other involved in the organizing committee – first met back in August it was decided that a virtual service would be better than trying to coordinate a hybrid one.  So between recording videos with many of the participants, sending out reminders and trying to chase down videos from those recording themselves, and then all of the editing to create a seamless service – most of which happened in the 48 hours leading up to the event today at noon – these two event have taken up much of my free time outside of work.

While not included in the recording, the streaming began at about 11:55am with:

• Remembrance Day by Bryan Adams – https://youtu.be/UTXlpD9uU0U (just the audio, which was overlaid with the slide below alternating with a slide telling attendees that the service would officially begin at 12:05pm)
• A Pittance of Time by Terry Kelly – https://youtu.be/2kX_3y3u5Uo (the full video, with a slide telling attendees that the service would officially begin at 12:05pm to the side)

You can see the actual service that followed below:

The original description for the service read:

Join TUC in honoring our Veterans for a Virtual Celebration.
Hosted by the TUC Military Club

Thursday, November 11, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (PST)

Join the Celebration (No Registration Required)

This event is free, and all are welcome to join us as we celebrate the men and women who have kept our country safe throughout the years.

Special Guests include:

• Congressman Mike Thompson, California 5th District
• State Senator Bill Dodd, District 3
• Assemblymember Timothy Grayson, District 14
• Council Member Pippin Dew, City of Vallejo – District 1
• Dr Andrew Shelley, Clinical Psychologist – Department of Veterans Affairs
• Charlie Martin, Piper – Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25

Another successful service in the book.

Note that the video above is a personal archive. The original video for this event is available at https://youtu.be/ODqNH1IlGOI

Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25 – Remembrance Day Service 2021

Regular readings of this space know that today is a day where I do not post anything related to K-12 distance, online, and/or blended learning.  You only need to review the tag Remembrance Day to see what today means to me.

As the President of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25 (representing the San Francisco Bay Area), I have spent much of my free time organizing our branch’s annual Remembrance Day service.  After a year of coordinating, preparing, editing and stream virtual services, the members of Branch 25 were able to come together again at Liberty Cemetery in Petaluma for our annual service, and as always we were assisted by the members and leaders of our United States Navy Sea Cadet Corp – Arkansas Division.

In addition to the in person service, we also tried to stream the service using Zoom. The program for today’s service is available by clicking here and you can view an edited recording of that service at:

This was our first attempt at a hybrid service, and apologies to those at home (and for that matter those watching the video). After a year of well designed, heavily edited, and carefully planned virtual services, we certainly learned a lot about delivering a hybrid service today.  For example, while the video through the cell phone on location turned 90 degrees looked fine as we viewed it through the screen, the feed into Zoom for those at home was at a right angle.  Additionally, the audio quality – particularly for the music portions – was problematic.  As a branch, we promise that by our next hybrid service that we will have these issues addressed.

Both as President of the branch and on a personal level, I do want to thank those who attended in person and those who attended online. Thanks also to our fellow Canadians at the Consulate in San Francisco, the Digital Moose Lounge, and the Canadian Studies Program at UC Berkeley. We appreciate the incredible job each of these groups did in promoting our service.

Finally, below are some of the photos that were taken, including our traditional group picture.

Click on any image to enlarge.

 

Click on any image to enlarge.

 

Service in the Face of a Pandemic

Regular readers of this space know today is Remembrance Day (i.e., Veterans Day in the United States), and that today there is a single entry that has nothing to do with K-12 distance education, online learning, or blended learning.

Today is also the most difficult day for me to pen something for this space, as I am reminded of my grandfather – who I spent so many Remembrance Days with.  The example of service that he imparted on me, and the sense of duty.  These values, and him in general, are the reason why I chose to join the Royal Canadian Legion as an Associate Member 23 years ago.

Remembrance Day 2011 was the last that we were able to spend together at the local cenotaph in Wesleyville.

While we had plans to attend the ceremonies in 2012 (and had attended the service that the local high school – Pearson Academy – had put off the day before), but we spent much of that day in Brookfield Hospital on what would be the first day of the battle with cancer that he would eventually succumb to.

Since his passing I have tried to honour him and his memory through my service in the Royal Canadian Legion.  Over the past few years I have tried to take an active role in the leadership and activities of our local branch here in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the International Western USA Zone.  And today, in particular, I remember Samuel Bragg Barbour (1920-2013).

Each year I close with the words that are being recited all across the British Commonwealth today.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

– John McCrae

11 Days of Remembrance – Photo A Day Challenge 2019

Regular readers of this space know today is Remembrance Day (i.e., Veterans Day in the United States), and that today there is a single entry that has nothing to do with K-12 distance education, online learning, or blended learning.

From 2010 to 2014 my thoughts on this day have primarily reflected upon my grandfather – Samuel Barbour, a World War II veteran of the “A” Battery of the 59th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment of Britain’s Royal Artillery (see We Will Remember, We Will Remember Them; A Dreaded Day Of Remembrance; Samuel Barbour [1920-2013]; Canada Remembers…, Remembrance Day At Home; and Lest We Forget…). In 2015, I wrote about Canada’s involvement in the Vietnam War (see Remembering Canada’s Unknown War), while in 2016 I wrote about my experiences of having spent Remembrance Day Abroad – specifically in the United States.  In 2017 I posted my contributions to the 11 Days of Remembrance – Photo A Day Challenge, while in 2018 I wrote about my own family’s connection to World War I (see A Family Tradition Of Service).

This year I have decided to take upon the 11 Days of Remembrance – Photo A Day Challenge again.

	Day 1: Following my grandfather’s passing, I had these five images framed and over the years have taken to placing poppies around the frame.  The three at the top and three at the bottom are Canadian poppies.  In the middle portion, the two on the top left and one on the top right are ANZAC poppies; while the ones on each side at the bottom of the middle are British poppies.  Finally, the odd one out down in the bottom right is an American poppy. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 2: This is an image I created after my grandfather passed that shows one of his original service photos on the left and a picture my wife took of his at his second last Remembrance Day service in his Royal Canadian Legion uniform.  The border was something that Canada Remembers was doing that year for social media profile pictures. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 3: At some point in his career as a veteran, a member of the Salvation Army gave my grandfather this dove pin and he worn it on his Legion uniform until he passed.  Now I proudly wear it on my uniform in his honour. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 4: This is a collection of items from my grandfather.  Everything from the crests on his should to his pay book to his discharge and service papers to photographs from his unit, even the box his original medals were sent to him in.  Most interesting are two sets of what we would call postcards today, except they are all attached to each other, from some of the places that he fought through. Note that this is the only image that I have linked to itself, so you can click on it to see the full size version. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 5: This is the Canadian Vietnam Memorial, as known as the North Wall. It was one of the first files I worked on while I was in Senator Jack Marshall’s office. Then I got to live in Windsor, Ontario – where the monument ended up. My involvement with this group of veterans is one of the prouder aspects of my career, in fact beyond my grandfather’s dove pin (see Day 3), the only other pins I wear on my Legion jacket are two pins associated with the Canadian Vietnam Veterans and this memorial. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 6: Originally build through the work of the “Let Them Be Kids Helping Hands” and the local Lion’s Club, Pearson Park remembers two local heroes – one of which was my grandfather. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 7: Having no personal connection to the Italian Campaign, but also with being an educator, I decided to include the image Veterans Canada is using to support its educational materials around this year’s Veterans Week. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 8: As I referenced in my Day 5 post, these are the other two pins that I wear in my Legion jacket.  The top one is for my lifetime Associate Member status in the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association and the bottom one is for the Canadian Vietnam Veterans National Memorial in Windsor, Ontario. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 9: It is difficult to think about war without recognizing the important role that animals have played (see this article from the National Post for some Canadian examples).  The purple poppy has come to symbolize remembrance in for animals that served during wartime.  Starting in the UK, it has spread to New Zealand and Australia (not so much to Canada).  While not endorsed by the Royal British Legion, they did not oppose it either.  Interestingly, the organization that began the campaign has now distanced itself from it, favouring a purple paw print instead. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 10: Over the years, my wife Lisa has picked up several poppy-related items of clothing and accessories.  One of my favourites is her poppy scarf, largely because we also purchased a second one that we gave to my grandmother. #CanadaRemembers
	Day 11: This was me speaking on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 at the 2018 ANZAC Day service (i.e., Australia-New Zealand that was held at the Log Cabin, Presidio in San Francisco. You can see images of the entire event on the branch’s website. #CanadaRemembers

Each year I close with the words that are being recited all across the British Commonwealth today.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

– John McCrae