Community Remembers Soldiers and Veterans

By John Pidkowich

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canadians gather and pause to  honour and remember the soldiers, sailors, airmen, merchant marine men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. It has been 90 years since the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 to end the First World War, the Great War to end all wars. As we pause, we reflect on how the world has suffered from wars through the 20^th Century and continues to do so today.

This year, member organizations of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Toronto Branch  gathered on Sunday, November 9^th to observe Remembrance Day for the Ukrainian Soldier at the Ukrainian Canadian Memorial Park in Etobicoke, in Toronto’s West End. Veterans marched to the park, lead by the “Avangard” Band, They assembled to join the “Orion” Men’s Choir, the clergy and about 200 people gathered in front of the park’s monument to the Unknown Ukrainian Soldier to participate in a Panakhyda Memorial Service for deceased soldiers and veterans. Following a trumpet’s call of “The Last Post”, one minute of silence, and the trumpet’s response of “Reveille”, the Remembrance Day Service programme proceeded, lead by committee chair and Master of Ceremonies Yurij Serhijczuk, Ukrainian National Federation Toronto West Branch representative to UCC Toronto.

As has been the custom over the last several years, officers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine attended the service, on leave from their NATO training at CFB Camp Borden, north of Toronto. They, along with the Canadian Armed Forces and Cadets, Ukrainian Canadian community organizations, government dignitaries, Ukrainian and Royal Canadian Legion Veterans paid their respects to fallen soldiers by laying wreaths at the monument’s base. The wreath from the Government of Canada was laid by Etobicoke Centre MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj; from the Province of Ontario by The Honourable Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources and Etobicoke Centre MPP; from the Ukrainian people and the Government of Ukraine lead by Toronto Consul General Oleksandr Danyleyko; from the City of Toronto by Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby; from the Canadian Armed Forces by Armin Konn; from the Ukrainian Royal Canadian Legion by John Gregorovich; from the Armed Forces of Ukraine lead by Lt. Colonel Yuriy Naplyakov; from UCC Toronto by Markian Shwec and sons Andriy and Mateyko; from the Ukrainian War Veteran’s Association by Iwan Andrusiak and Stepan Pylypiak; from the UNF by Michael Kalimin and UWO by Natalie Bundza Iwanytzky, and from the Ukrainian National Youth Federation by Wasyl Pidzamecky, Wasyl Luczkiw, Olesya Pogorelova and Svitlana Yurchenko among many other groups. 

Against the back drop of flag-bearing veterans, bitter wind and the relentless threat of showers, dignitaries spoke on the significance of our remembrance, respect for those who served and continue to serve for peace. The Main Speaker was retired Canadian Armed Forces Brigadier General Victor Pergat, former Director General of Land Engineering and Maintenance, National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa. He provided some statistical information and shared one source stating that approximately 10 % of the Canadians landing on at D-Day on June 6, 1944 were of Ukrainian Canadian background and they were all volunteers! In Ukrainian, Brigadier General Pergat remarked that this remembrance service recalls not only Canadians of Ukrainian heritage who died for Canada but for all soldiers who sacrificed their life for their country in the name of freedom and peace in the world. Therefore, on this Remembrance Day, BGen Pergat called upon everyone together to honour and remember all Ukrainian soldiers who fell for their Homeland – Ukraine. Continuing in French and English, he stated we pay tribute to the sacrifice made by generations of Ukrainian-Canadian military personnel for the protection of our fundamental values. We indeed thank them for our freedom. However, in conclusion, BGen Pergat said that today we also remember them: “In remembering, we pay homage to those died in past wars and in the wars that still rage around the globe today; In remembering, we look to the future for continued peace for Canadians; In remembering, we can continue to be leaders in our communities, our cities and our country; leaders in promoting peace and tolerance. I remember seeing an inscription, on the headstone of a 17 year old boy killed in World War I which said it all. It read: The Best Gift of Love is Remembrance. Lest we forget...”

The  Remembrance Day Service honours veterans who fought for their country’s freedom and remembers comrades who lost their lives in the course of war. Thousands of Ukrainian Canadians fought for Canada in World War I, WWII and the Korean War and many today serve Canada. Still other Ukrainian Canadians are Ukrainian war veterans who fought for Ukraine’s freedom after WWI as Sichovi Stril’tsi (Sitch Riflemen), in the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR) and Galician Armies, and during WWII in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the First Division Ukrainian National Army (UNA).

Before dismissal, the service concluded with the orchestra playing and the assembly singing “God Save the Queen”, the Ukrainian National Anthem “Schte ne vmerla Ukraina” and “O Canada”.