Hampton residents gathered at the town’s Cenotaph on Wednesday to mark Remembrance Day with a solemn service of reflection and gratitude.
Hampton’s Legion president Leonard Hodgins led the service, which brought together hundreds of families, veterans, and community members for the laying of official wreaths and a moment of silence at 11 a.m.
Following the service, the town’s legion hosted a luncheon at the Hampton Minor Hockey Association building.
At the event, several residents, veterans, members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force joined to share a meal and continue the commemoration.
Royal Canadian Navy veteran Joseph Daniel May attended the luncheon.
May enlisted in the Navy at 18 and served for three years, working with a NATO force in the post-Cold War era aboard an Annapolis-class destroyer, an anti-submarine warship built in the 1960s to hunt German U-boats.
May said he had to retire early due to medical issues but described his time in the Navy as a “great experience” and believes more young men should consider joining the armed forces.
“They should get that experience under their belt because we don’t have enough people joining our armed forces,” he said.
He added that for him Remembrance Day is about respect.
“It’s respect for your comrades that lost their lives,” said May.
Veteran Larry Steves agreed with May.
He served in the Royal Canadian Regiment and at CFB Gagetown for almost 20 years, completing almost two campaigns in Cyprus.
He added that respect for veterans and those who are still serving the country should continue year-round.
Steves said he would like to see initiatives like the Dutch grave adoption program, where, through schools, families, and dedicated foundations, Dutch children and residents “adopt” individual gravesites of fallen American, Canadian, British, and Polish members to honor their memory.
“That’s what it should be,” he said. “They should have enough respect for the veterans in here in Canada, for kids to do that because it lets them have a sense of taking care of somebody who died for their freedom.”
On the other hand, for Major James Ryan, Remembrance Day is about camaraderie and appreciating the service of those who came before him and those who served with him.
Ryan serves as the officer commanding the administration squadron at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering.
He has served in the army for over 20 years and has completed two tours in Afghanistan and one recently in Latvia.
He said the tours have given him a different perspective on the celebration.
“It gave me a greater appreciation for what the veterans of World War I and World War II went through,” he said. “But now I also remember the veterans and friends I lost in Afghanistan.”
Ryan added that for him Remembrance Day has also become an opportunity for younger and older generations of service members to connect and share anecdotes.
“This is a very special day, and the opportunity to do this and come together, especially at the legion, with Remembrance Day fresh on the mind, is what we are here for,” he said.
