in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 11 ,2 02 1 | 24 TOP 1% Wilma Fournier Sales Representative D:905-399-9544 O:905-844-5000 Brokerage To all our Veterans and those who protect our country and to all front line workers who have shown such courage and compassion over the last two years. HONESTLY we can't thank you enough! God bless you! The just shout Wilma family team Kirk, Holly. Guy and Charlie 2021RemembranceDAYLEST WE FORGETRemembranceLEST WE FORGETRemembrance While exact statistics are difficult to deter- mine, the rate of Indigenous participation in Canada's military efforts over the years has been impressive. These determined volunteers were often forced to overcome many challenges to serve in uniform, from learning a new language and adapting to cultural differences, to hav- ing to travel great distances from their remote communities just to enlist. The First World War The First World War raged from 1914 to 1918 and more than 4,000 Indigenous people served in uniform during the conflict. It was a remarkable response and in some areas, one in three able- bodied men would volunteer. Indeed, some communities (such as the Head of the Lake Band in British Columbia) saw every man between 20 and 35 years of age enlist. Indigenous recruits joined up for a variety of reasons, from seeking employment or adventure to wanting to uphold a tradition that had seen their ancestors fight alongside the British in earlier military efforts like the War of 1812 and the South African War. Many Indigenous men brought valu- able skills with them when they joined the mili- tary. Patience, stealth and marksmanship were well-honed traits for those who had come from communities where hunting was a cornerstone of daily life. These attributes helped many of these soldiers become successful snipers (mili- tary sharpshooters) and reconnaissance scouts (men who stealthily gathered information on enemy positions). Indigenous soldiers earned at least 50 decorations for bravery during the war. Henry Louis Norwest, a Métis from Alberta and one of the most famous snipers of the entire Canadian Corps, held a divisional sniping record of 115 fatal shots and was awarded the Military Medal and bar for his courage under fire. Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwa from Ontario, was another elite sniper and would be one of the very few Canadians to receive a Military Medal with two bars for his repeated heroic acts during the conflict. Edith Anderson Monture, a young woman from the Six Nations Grand River Reserve in Ontario, served in a different way. In 1917, this nurse who had been working in the United States went overseas to help the sick and wounded in an American military hospital in France. She later spoke of the destruction she had witnessed: "We would walk right over to where there had been fighting. It was a terrible sight--buildings in rubble, trees burnt, spent shells all over the place, whole towns blown up." The Second World War When the Second World War erupted in September 1939, many Indigenous people again answered the call of duty and joined the military. By March 1940, more than 100 of them had volunteered and by the end of the conflict in 1945, over 3,000 First Nations mem- bers, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, had served in uniform. While some did see action with the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, most would serve in the Canadian Army. While Indigenous soldiers again served as snipers and scouts, as they had during the First World War, they also took on interesting new THE FIRST NATIONS, MéTIS ANd INUIT PEOPLE OF CANAdA HAvE A LONG TRAdITION OF MILITARy SERvICE FOR CANAdA Soldiers and elders from a Saskatchewan First Nations community during the First World War. Indigenous veterans