Royal Canadian Legion Branch 160 treasurer Darrin Nichol has been involved with the Remembrance Day ceremony for a long time in Rankin Inlet.
Nichol said the ceremony is as important today as it's ever been, given some of the things that have been happening globally.
The ceremony in Rankin has always been well-attended, he added.
“It's super meaningful to see the community come out and pay tribute to Canada's fallen and service people,” said Nichol. “It's also really good to see all the folks in uniform, whether it's the Rangers, the cadets, the Joint Task Force folks who might be around, the fire department, the bylaw officers and members of the RCMP.
“Having so many people in the community come out and be involved means a lot to the Legion.”
Nichol said the Remembrance Day ceremony is the number-one priority of the Rankin Inlet Legion.
He said the annual ceremony is really what the Legion is all about.
“We certainly gear up for the ceremony. Branch president Mark Wyatt gets the poppies out to the stores and makes sure they're available. We work together as a branch to plan the event and getting things set up.
“It's something we really look forward to putting together every year.”
Nichol said with Canada's sacrifices of the past and everything that's going on in the world today, the words Lest We Forget ring as true now as they ever did.
He said the numbers are huge, with more than 66,000 Canadian service personnel dead in the First World War, more than 44,000 in World War Two, 158 in Afghanistan and so on.
“Our branch also recognizes the RCMP and there's many search-and-rescue operations that are conducted by members of the Canadian Armed Forces that are often extremely dangerous.
“We saw someone lose their life up around Iglulik in 2011 and Jordan Anderson, whose hometown is Iqaluit, lost his life in Afghanistan in 2007 and, of course, William Henry Green, of whom there has been a lot written.
“Canada has a large international presence. We're not exempt from military conflict and it can happen again. So, it's an important time to reflect on the fallen and our service personnel who are there on the front lines today, as well as to appreciate what we have, and enjoy, as a peaceful nation.”
