It was standing room only at the qplex for the annual Kennebecasis Valley Remembrance Day ceremony.
More than 1,000 people gathered at the arena in Quispamsis on Monday to pay their respects.
Cpl. Nathan Davis, CD (Ret’d), said he was thrilled to see so many people come out to the ceremony.
“People brought their families and young children with them,” said Davis. “That was an incredible thing to see.”
Davis, who served as the master of ceremonies, said it is important for people of all ages take the time to remember veterans and serving members.
“To remember that there are soldiers every day that you don’t know what they’re going through in their heads,” he said. “PTSD has become a major problem in all armed forces of the world where you don’t see the injury.”
“It’s easy to see someone who has a physical injury, it’s a lot harder and more complicated to understand someone who’s suffering from PTSD.”
Several wreaths were laid during the Kennebecasis Valley Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2019. (Photo: Brad Perry)
Several local dignitaries also laid wreaths during the ceremony, including Premier Blaine Higgs, Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark, and Rothesay Mayor Nancy Grant.
“Often we always think of something more we want, and I say this a lot of times, rather than what we need and what we’re blessed with,” Higgs said. “This is a chance to pause and think about just how blessed we are in our fair land of Canada.”
Memorial (Silver) Cross recipients Laurie and Don Greenslade also laid a wreath. Their son, Pte. David Greenslade, was one of six soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday, 2007.
The ceremony has officially begun here in #Quispamsis. pic.twitter.com/DB3peeome0
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) November 11, 2019
