What was forecasted as a -11? morning, last Friday, November 11, felt a lot more frigid and yet attendees of the Legion Branch 96’s Remembrance Day ceremony seemed very unbothered.
“Soldiers froze in the trenches for months and years with the war. So I guess we can handle 30 minutes,” President Arlene Johnston of Legion Merritt joked.
The gathering is part of an annual activity that the Legion hosts to commemorate the brave souls who have served for this country. More than 100 people gathered outside the Merritt Civic Centre to pay tribute.
“It takes a lot of effort to put this together and make sure the timing was correct,” Johnston noted. 11 a.m. is important to this ceremony. To get the colour party, the national anthem, and the rest of the program to come in right on cue so that we can hit that 11 a.m. mark is very crucial.”
The event did not go without its fair share of hitches, with one being a miscommunication of schedule and another with technical difficulties. These challenges, however, did not deter the program which is considered by Johnston and the rest of the Legion, a resounding success.
“We had a great turnout,” Johnston exclaimed. “We had way more wreaths to put out this year. I just want to thank everyone who came out and I also want to thank the City of Merritt for opening their doors.”
Remembrance Day Ceremony 2022 by Izaiah Reyes
