Retired army major speaks about increased support on Remembrance Day, supporting veterans

The significance of Remembrance Day cannot be overstated, but it seems this year many more people are taking the time to reflect and remember those who died for our freedom.

Retired Major Ken Hynes, who was the former curator of the Canadian Army Museum at Citadel Hill in Halifax says he’s noticed an upwards trend in people attending Remembrance Day ceremonies in recent years.

“It’s been growing every year, one can guess why that is I suppose, but it’s really nice to see people coming out to commemorate the service and the sacrifice of all that served our country and those that gave their lives and paid the ultimate price for freedom, that story never gets old,” said Hynes in an interview with CTV’s Todd Battis on Monday.

With the average age of a Second World War veteran getting older, Hynes says there is limited time to hear the stories from the wars, but there are efforts being made.

“There are a number of projects that have gone on in the past few years where folks are getting veterans of that age to sit down and talk about their experiences they had during the war,” he said.

“Many, which is normal, don’t like to talk about them, but the older one gets, my grandfather was a good example, he didn’t say anything about the war until near the end of his life and then when given the opportunity it was like he was unburdening himself in many ways and sharing things he never shared with other people.”

Hynes says those who fought are effected by their experiences, but there has been a growing conversation around the effects and finding the necessary resources to try to help.

“For years and years that stuff never got talked about. During the First World War they called it shellshock, during the Second World War, battle fatigue or whatever, and then the term post-traumatic stress disorder came about and so over time we’ve learned a little more about that component of service. It’s nice to see that in the modern Canadian forces attention is being paid to that because it’s important,” he said.

Hynes adds that if someone is interested in serving their country, they should pursue the opportunity, as anyone can play a part.

“If you take a look at what’s going on around the world we have to be able to stand up for ourselves and stand up for freedom and the best place to do that is in service to your community and in service to your country as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Hynes.

“Martin Luther King [Junior] once said that the arc of history bends towards justice, but it only bends when we help it bend, and helping it to bend towards democracy and peace and freedom is a big job and it needs everybody to participate in it,” he added.