I recently read an article which stated that, while more Baby Boomers than Millennials will wear a poppy on their lapel, the reality is that more Millennials are likely to actually attend a Remembrance Day service than Baby Boomers. This surprised me because Baby Boomers are the children of those who fought and were often injured during World War II. My own father was wounded at the Battle of Ortona in Italy. Many of us also had grandparents who served in the First World War.
When I was a child November 11th was actually an official holiday. We did not go to school that day because we were meant to attend our local cenotaph for a Remembrance Day service. By the time my own children started attending school, November 11th was no longer a school holiday, although banks, post offices and government offices were generally closed in Canada, as they continue to be today. Wisely, I believe, schools now hold Remembrance Day services on the 11th and the children spend the week leading up to Remembrance Day learning why this is an important national day of remembering. I used to enjoy attending these school services and found them very meaningful. I also try to hold a Remembrance Day service at my church every year.
What about you, my Boomer friend? Are you wearing a poppy this week? And will you attend a Remembrance Day service this year?
Boomerality 