Hundreds of people, including First Nations war veterans, took part in a ceremony of remembrance today at the First Nations University of Canada campus in Regina.
The last post was followed by a prayer from an elder, remembering the lost soldiers of yesterday and today.
Arthur Anderson is from the Gordon First Nation. He served 29 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a paratrooper. Anderson comes from a long line of military service with family members serving from the Boer War to the present day conflict in Afghanistan.
He laid a wreath on behalf of the veterans from World War I and WWII.
In addition to his military service, Anderson is an Anglican priest who tries to bridge the gap between First Nations and non-First Nations cultures.
Anderson says he is always impressed by the respect he is shown:
“The way people treat me today — not only in the Indigenous community, but also in the non-Indigenous community — there’s an awful lot of respect there, as well. So I walk between the two worlds very comfortably.”
The new president of the FNUNiv Students Association is Brad Bellegarde. He says his life is better today because of people like Anderson and thousands of others who have fought for our freedom:
“I think it’s imperative for the youth to be able to understand the sacrifices that our elders and our veterans did make for this country, in order for us to have some privileges such as this beautiful building that we now have.”
Canada’s First Nations soldiers have served in every conflict from the War of 1812 to the World Wars, the Korean conflict and the battles in Afghanistan.