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Remembrance Day: Lest we forget
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CBC News-
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause in memory of the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives in military service.
At public gatherings in Ottawa and around the country, Canadians pay tribute with two minutes of silence to the country's fallen soldiers from the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and peacekeeping missions.
Also known as Veterans Day in the U.S., Remembrance Day was first held throughout the Commonwealth in 1919. It marks the armistice to end the First World War, which came into effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, a year earlier.
Canada formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan on July 7, 2011, and withdrew 2,850 Canadian combat troops after years of being on the front lines of the fight against Taliban insurgents in the south. Canada was the sixth largest troop-contributing nation, behind the U.S. and European countries.
Special Report: Canada's mission in Afghanistan
The Mission: Canada's combat role in Afghanistan officially ends
Gallery: Canadian troops head home
Video Feature, Mark Kelley: Leaving Afghanistan
Video Feature, Susan Ormiston: What's next for Afghanistan?
Gallery: The Fighting Season: Louie Palu's front-line photography
Commentary: Russell Storring — Life after deployment, the moving and the remembering
Map: Afghanistan troop contributions by nation
Afghanistan's toll
Canada officially transferred its mission to the United States at Kandahar Air Field during a ceremony held in a hall decorated with Canadian maple leaf flags. After remarks, handshakes and the exchange of military paperwork, troops held a moment of silence for their fallen comrades. Between 2002 and the end of the mission in 2011, 157 Canadian troops were killed in Afghanistan.
Honour Roll: Canada's casualties
Interactive: Remembrance Day in the words of Canada's soldiers and military families
Documentary Interactive: A tribute to our fallen heroes
Song: John McDermott's Bringing Buddy Home
Feature, travelling memorial: Portraits of Honour
The Great Wars
World War I:
The First World War began when Great Britain declared war on Germany on Aug. 4, 1914. As a member of the British Empire, Canada automatically joined the conflict. A total of 595,000 Canadians heeded the call to enlist, and 418,000 served overseas by the war's end on Nov. 11, 1918. WWI's toll on Canadians was 60,383 dead and 155,799 wounded.
Quick facts: First World War
Remembering Canada's WWI veterans
Battle: Vimy Ridge: Shock and Awe, 1917
Obituary: John Babcock, Canada's last First World War soldier
News: WW I soldier's remains buried in France
Video: Billy Bishop Goes To War (based on the iconic stage play)
World War II:
The fighting began with the German attack on Poland early on Sept. 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany shortly after, and Canada followed a week later. The first Canadian troops departed for Europe at the end of 1939. More than 45,000 Canadian died in the fighting. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, followed by Japan in August the same year.
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