Members of the Carleton community gathered on Library Road to remember the service and sacrifices of Canadian veterans on an overcast Nov. 11.
The Remembrance Day ceremony opened with the soft tones of Carleton University’s choir, led by director Antonio Llaca. In a gentle but unified voice, the choir performed a musical arrangement of American poet Clare Harner’s “Immortality.”
The choir also sang the national anthem, which was followed by the “Last Post” on the trumpet. The subsequent two minutes of silence ended with the commanding tones of a bagpipe, which led into speeches and a reading of John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields.”
Wreaths of remembrance were laid by representatives of Carleton’s executive, faculty and staff, as well as representatives for undergraduate, graduate and Indigenous students. After the ceremony, the community was invited to lay poppies on the wreaths.
Carleton University has historically maintained a “strong connection” with veterans and Canada’s military, said special constable Richard Sabourin from Campus Safety Services. That connection continues today, he said, through the students, staff and faculty who served and are currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Carleton University was founded during the Second World War in 1942. It provided “education and opportunity” to veterans returning home from the war, said university president Jerry Tomberlin.
“As members of the Carleton community, let us never forget the spirit of service from which this institution was born,” Tomberlin said. “More importantly, let us never forget the courageous individuals who ensured that we could stand here today, proud and free.”
Featured image by Murray Oliver.
