Remembrance Day through the eyes of younger veterans

OROMOCTO, N.B. -

Base Gagetown in New Brunswick is one of the largest Canadian Armed Forces bases in the country.

The next generation of Canadian Armed Forces members who live in the area look to those who served before them on Remembrance Day.

Over this career, Brian Macdonald served many tours, including Afghanistan.

"The Fredericton area and Oromocto is a military community at its heart and I think a lot of people here have been very personally impacted. They're feeling that and I think there's been a bit of distance between the war in Afghanistan and today," Macdonald said.

It's important, he said, that modern veterans are remembered.

"Veterans now think of Remembrance Day as the people they knew, and certainly on Remembrance Day I reflect on the people I served with, some that came back, some that are suffering, and some that have prospered, so it's a mixed bag," he said.

Veterans in Oromocto got together after the ceremony at the local legion, an important tradition that carries on.

"It's not always just about war, it’s about war, it’s also about the people who have been through a lot of other difficulties," said Cpl. Matthew Claridge, Canadian Armed Forces member.

Days like today are meant to bridge a generational divide.

"This is a day when a lot of soldiers can get together from different organizations, have a drink and remember what they've done together," Harlen Jensen, a veteran.

Lee Windsor, a veteran and University of New Brunswick military historian, is a member of the commemoration advisory group at the department of veteran’s affairs. He says they've been listening to modern veterans about what they want to see in the future.

"The experiences and sacrifices of soldiers and sailors and aircrew in the First and Second World War, if anything, they want to retain that memory as part of the institutional culture in the Canadian Armed Forces, but they are also asking for space to be made for their service and their stories," Windsor said.

Stories that can be added to what Canadians will continue to remember each Nov. 11.