Calgary 2021 Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Field of Crosses – Calgary | The Canadian News

The annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Field of Crosses Memorial Project will take place on Thursday morning.

Global Calgary will host the ceremony live from 10:30 am to 11:30 am, hosted by Linda Olsen and Paul Dunphy.

The ceremony will also be streamed live in this article during that time.

Only the participants of the ceremony will be able to enter the Campo de Cruces, which will be closed to the public from 7 am to 2 pm, at which time the public will be allowed to enter.

Alberta Health Services requests that crowds do not congregate off-site and that spectators not congregate along Memorial Drive next to the Field of Crosses.

Each November, 3,500 crosses are erected along Memorial Drive to individually honor the thousands of Southern Albertans who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom.

Additionally, a separate part of the park is reserved with 120 unique crosses for a special memorial to the 120,000 heroes from across Canada who lost their lives fighting for our country.

Indigenous veterans also played a vital role in wars throughout the 20th century.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 12,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit individuals served, while approximately 500 lost their lives.

Indigenous Veterans Day is now celebrated on November 8 to honor the soldiers who served.

“Indigenous Veterans Day is pretty new,” said Jackie Jansen van Doorn of the Military Museums Foundation.

“With all the service members and the contributions they have made, we really put an emphasis on that special day.”

Despite receiving decorations for bravery, many Native American veterans returned home after WWI and WWII to find that they did not receive the same benefits as their peers.

“When they served, they weren’t allowed to serve without giving up their Indian status,” said veteran community leader Marilyn North Peigan. “That was a very discriminatory act and what we call the construction of systemic racism.”

“Many of the indigenous veterans lost their status when they went abroad for four years and now it is becoming more recognized,” said Jansen van Doorn.

Sunrise and sunset ceremonies have been held every day since November 1.