Valcartier soldiers to honour fallen on Remembrance Day

Veterans of past and current wars will honour their fallen comrades Wednesday as Canadians pause to mark Remembrance Day.

In Quebec, ceremonies are being held across the province for the event, which marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

It's been an exceptionally difficult year for soldiers from the Canadian Forces base in Valcartier, Que. They've mourned the deaths of 14 fellow Armed Forces members killed in Afghanistan.

Many soldiers not currently deployed will gather at the Valcartier base Wednesday to pause and remember their colleagues' sacrifices.

Sgt. Étienne Aubé will be among them. The 29-year-old lost his right leg in July 2007 when he stepped on a landmine while patrolling outside Kandahar.

Aubé, a father of two, calls the accident a close call and said he's lucky to be alive. He said that when he thinks of the generations of Canadian soldiers who fought in other wars, he recognizes that his battle experience in Afghanistan was vastly different.

Today's battle challenges are "insidious," Aubé said. "The enemy don't confront us directly."

Another difference between veterans of today and generations before is a willingness to talk about their field experiences, Aubé said. He's ready to talk about the psychological impact of his time served in Afghanistan, in contrast to many First and Second World War combatants who have chosen not to speak of their harrowing experiences.

For Gilles Lamontagne, 91, Remembrance Day is not as much about the past as it is about the present and future.

The former mayor of Quebec City, a Second World War veteran, spent 27 months as a prisoner of war in the hands of German troops. He still flinches at the sight of guard dogs, he said, and certain smells trigger long-buried memories.

Lamontagne said he hopes Canadians will take the time on Wednesday to remember their soldiers.

"They should think about these people still there, trying to fight and trying to make them live the way we do, … especially in Quebec. Comfortable, privileged and all that.

"I think that is why we should be there, and say how lucky are we to be the way we are."

Remembrance Day ceremonies in Quebec:

• Quebec City: 10:30 a.m. ET at the cenotaph (near the St-Louis Gates).
• Valcartier Base: 9:45 a.m. in advance of 10:20 a.m. start time for ceremony in front of the cenotaph on Général T.L. Tremblay Street.
• Montreal: 10:30 a.m. to noon, Royal Canadian Legion, Quebec Command ceremony at McGill University, Sherbrooke Street West, corner of McGill College. (Note: Different location this year because of downtown roadwork.) 
• Montreal: 11 a.m. ceremony organized by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste to honour fallen Quebec soldiers, at Côte-des-Neiges Cemetery.
• Pointe Claire, West Island: 10:30 a.m. ceremony at the National Field of Honour Cemetery, 703 Donegani Ave.