OUTLOOK - The date of Saturday, November 11 may have been just another day on the calendar in other parts of the world, but in Canada, it was Remembrance Day, and events held in the riverside community of Outlook helped mark the significance of the annual Day of Remembrance.
At Veterans Memorial Park, the Remembrance Day service hosted by Outlook Branch 262 of the Royal Canadian Legion had a very sizable crowd on hand, with Branch President John McPhail leading the ceremony. Town mayor Maureen Weiterman brought greetings before the arrival of the Branch 262 Colour Party, which was followed by the national anthem and the playing of The Last Post before everyone gathered for a moment of silence.
Outlook student Caleb Turton recited 'In Flanders Fields' before the Outlook Men's Choir performed 'The Mansions of the Lord' as directed by Graham Codling. Representatives of the Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Royal Canadian Legion laid wreaths down around the base of the cenotaph at the center of the war memorial, and McPhail noted that members of the public were invited to lay wreaths and poppies down following the official service.
Following a prayer by Pastor Mac de Waal and the Pledge of Remembrance, the Colour Party marched off as the program came to a close, after which the public were invited to the Legion Hall for lunch.
Branch 262's commitment to recognizing local Veterans continues throughout the year outside of Remembrance Day, as for the last seven years, the group has been actively working on a project that has seen the names of local Veterans being honoured by way of the Saskatchewan edition of the Military Service Recognition Book. Branch 262 submitted 28 biographies for use in the 2023 edition, and since 2019, a total of 235 local names have appeared in the book. Those who may be seeking information on how to honour a local Veteran in this manner are encouraged to reach out to Branch 262 President John McPhail.
Elsewhere in the community on that day, Warrant Officer Cathan Perry appeared at the Outlook & District Heritage Museum to give a talk on his experiences overseas in serving his country. Perry, who grew up near Macrorie, joined the Canadian Forces "on a dare" back in 2001, and he didn't fathom where he now stands today as a decorated Veteran.
It was after his first year in university that Cathan joined the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve with the North Saskatchewan Regiment, and in 2008 he was deployed on his first tour to Kandahar, Afghanistan. That tour was what sealed the deal for him, as Perry determined that a military career was what he was meant to do in his life, and so he transitioned to the Regular Force in 2012. Since that time, Cathan has been deployed twice more, once to Kabul back in Afghanistan, as well as to Ukraine.
Perry has listened to many other Canadian Veterans tell their stories, including one particularly heroic one who has his angel wings today from making five jumps from an airplane. It's the time that he spends with other people telling stories of their time in the Forces that has only solidified Cathan's commitment over the years, even if it means battling something as fierce and dark as the inner turmoil that can arise from time spent in combat.
Perry himself has suffered from what they call 'survivor's guilt' in the past, and seeking treatment has allowed him to continue living his life and serving his country, though he recognizes that not every ending for every Veteran is the same, a point that hit hard with those in attendance for his presentation. That first tour to Afghanistan was where the grief originated itself, as Cathan lost one of his best friends, who was only three weeks away from going home to a wife who was eight months pregnant with their first child. The situation turned itself into a harsh bout with survivor's guilt, including a period of alcohol abuse where Perry found himself trying anything to cope with the loss. It wasn't until he crashed his vehicle that he recognized that something was very wrong and he pursued help, and today, Cathan is a vocal proponent of mental health issues and seeking treatment.
Perry took questions after his eye-opening presentation, after which Corporal Cameron Robertson sat with local kids in the foyer of the museum to read to them. In addition, peace cards were available at the museum for anyone who was interested in sending one to a Veteran.
The visuals and the things heard on this particular Remembrance Day, whether it was the formal service at Veterans Memorial Park, or the talk given by Warrant Officer Perry, or the sight of seeing Corporal Robertson reading to local children; all of these things helped give people reasons to Remember and reflect, perhaps giving renewed purpose to those last few stanzas in the most infamous poem heard every November:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
- Major John McCrae
