We Remember

[sinjun]

I was at the car dealership at 11am today. The place came to a halt as everyone crowded around the television to watch the images of the pictures and the veterans, while the bugle played. Then we stood for two minutes of silence, before TAPS sounded.

At the end of the parade/ceremony in Ottawa, all the people started to crowd around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to put their poppies there atop it. It's apparently something that started in 2000, but seems to have become a new tradition. That's actually very nice to see. It's a moment of giving something back, sort of. It also is very dramatic, with the bright red of the poppies on the monument. Especially on a sunny day.

For those who don't know why the poppy is used, look here.

Comments

[otonabee.livejournal.com]

Actually having people leave their poppies I am pretty sure started before this. The idea being tha tpeople wear them before the 11th then leave them at the cenotaph

I think that there is a new Tomb to the Unknown Soldier though...

[damara.livejournal.com]

The newscasters said they only started leaving the poppies in 2000 on the tomb of the unknown soldier.

[otonabee.livejournal.com]

Ah see I was confused since you said 2005 ;)

[damara.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorry - can't type. ;)

[wibbble]

I never got around to getting a poppy - I rarely do, recently - but my work did shut down the phone lines between 10:55 and 11:05, and we had a two minute silence at 11.

Of course, they also made everyone take their break between 10:55 and 11:05, which will inflate their stats for today.