Well, it isn't very often I can say something exciting happened in Petawawa, but today something exciting really did happen in Petawawa. How shocking is that?? Today the Town of Petawawa held a Red Friday Rally and March of Military Appreciation. Now this in and of itself was a pretty big thing. However, the fact that Prime Minister Harper came made it extremely exciting! The kids had the day off school today, so we walked down to the Legion (everything big in Petawawa happens at the Legion, strangely enough) shortly before nine. Luckily, even though there were already a ton of people there, we managed to get a great spot right next to the stage. While we waited for the rally to start, the kids decided to check out the Cenotaph, which was right beside where we were standing. As Connor read the memorial out loud to his sisters, they were noticed by a camera crew, who took lots of footage of them. I asked them if he said anything, but apparently he just asked Katty to keep waving her flag. I haven't managed to track the video down yet, but I'm working on it. The rally was supposed to start at 9:30 sharp but didn't start until about 10/15 minutes later. Of course, everyone and their dog had to give a speech: the Mayor of Petawawa, the Brigade Commander, the CDS General Hillier, our MPP, our MP and the Defense Minister. The Prime Minister was the last to speak, and they definitely saved the best for last. I've always thought he was an excellent speaker, but today I was truly awestruck. To listen to him speak in person is an amazing experience. He's extremely articulate (no proof is a proof is a proof that proves something in this speech), and very passionate. He is truly dedicated to our forces, and providing them with the best tools necessary to do the job he's asked them to do. There were times I actually had to wipe away tears, especially when he thanked the families for their sacrifice on behalf of Canada. The whole event was extremely moving, but was made even more poignant by the presence of the families of the fallen soldiers. In fact, the daughter of one of those fallen soldiers was standing right beside us, and she was quite eager to see the Prime Minister and shake his hand. To me, that said it all. I somehow doubt she would be as eager to meet Jack Layton or Stephane Dion. After the speeches were over, the Prime Minister moved through the crowd signing autographs, but I didn't get one. He was only a couple of feet away from me though. For some reason, the kids weren't nearly as excited about this as I was. After it was over, I asked them if they thought it was neat seeing the Prime Minister of our country. Connor's response, "Yeah, it was cool, but his body guards were way cool, did you see the things in their ears? And do you think they were carrying guns?" Somethings telling me they probably were, yes. 
Here's an article about the Prime Minster's speech. CTV also has a video of the speech, if you haven't heard it, defintely worth watching.
“I know that it hasn’t been easy. This community has had more losses to mourn than any other base in this country,”
"We can’t let anyone get away with tarnishing the reputation of the Canadian Forces as the most professional, dedicated, disciplined and effective soldiers on this planet,"
“You also know that our work has not ended. That we cannot just put down our weapons and hope for peace, that we can’t set arbitrary deadlines and wish for the best.” ~~Prime Minister Harper
1 comment:
Hmmm... this is the Prime Minister who when he was Opposition Leader didn't have anything good to say about the Maritimes??? Oh well, can't please us all.
And no hon, I'm not bitching just stating a fact. He at least is supporting our military so he gets points for that.
Post a Comment