“Remember him and all the ones who fought for our land in one and if his step be silenced, He is a hero and a much-loved son.”
Those were the final words of “A Soldier’s Steps,” which was written by Pelham resident Pamela McClintock and read by her daughter, Linda. These words were penned by the elder McClintock in the wake of her son’s death. Sean McClintock, who suffered from PTSD after serving five tours overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces, and took his own life in 2016.
Linda was speaking during Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Royal Canadian Legion, Br. 613 in Fonthill on Monday.
Sean McClintock’s story is a reminder that while veterans of the Second World War and Korea are ageing, others have stepped up in places such as Bosnia and Afghanistan to fight for freedom, said Rev. John Cathcart.
“They walk among us at the grocery store, the favourite restaurant, or in the lineup of Tim Hortons veterans, they walk among us as we gather here, you may be standing beside one,” he said. “They are not any different from you in any discernible way, except perhaps one, what they have seen and what they have experienced. They have, for whatever reason to don the uniform of the Canadian Armed Forces. From the time of the great wars to Korea, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, and the list goes on.”
Veterans, he added, “have seen the cost of peace” and it wasn’t always easy to take in.
“They have experienced it, brought it back home with them,” he said, “It changed them, changed how they see the world, see God, see people, and even how they see life itself.”
Branch 613 Talbot Trail President Toni McKelvie said veterans – those who are gone and those who are still here – will not be forgotten.
“They have inspired us to labour on and to ensure that the great country in which we live and for which they died may forever be worthy of sacrifices they made. We will stand unshaken and resolved and grateful in remembrance.”
Representatives from the various levels of government spoke at the ceremonies, including Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin, Regional Coun. Diana Huson and Niagara West MP Dean Allison. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was attending another service and instead sent a statement which was read by Legion member Bernie Law.
Junkin, for one, drove home the fact that it is important to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to protect freedom in Canada and abroad.
“Each year as we move further away from the firsthand memories of past wars, it is our duty to continue to share these memories, to ensure that we as a country and as individuals remember the past acts of valour.”
He pointed Branch 613’s banner initiative which honours the town’s veterans.
“The faces displayed on the banners are a humbling reminder of our neighbors who may have made sacrifices and contributions to our country that can never be repaid,” Junkin said.
