Category — War

Only days before the November 11th Remembrance Day ceremonies, vandals have knocked over a cross adorning a Fredericton, New Brunswick war memorial.

What some have failed to acknowledge is that this particular act of vandalism is doubly offensive in that it attacks not just the memory of the soldiers that lost their lives fighting for our nation but also the faith that provided many of those men with the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

On November 11th, 1918, it was not the Maple Leaf but the Canadian Red Ensign - on which the Union Flag was predominant - for which our soldiers declared victory. During the Great War, Canadians carried into battle the Christian crosses of saints Andrew, Patrick and George. They knew freedom, justice and security as Judeo-Christian values. These same values have become Canadian hallmarks only because these brave soldiers were willing to lay down their lives in imitation of their savior. For the nation of Canada, but also in the name of Jesus. It is with their blood that the Maple Leaf is dyed red.

It is disparaging to the memory of these soldiers that our government funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation would years later declare in its headline “Vandals damage Fredericton cenotaph”, and then only reveal in the fourth paragraph that it was a cross that was “toppled to the ground and smashed into pieces.” For the majority of soldiers the cross was not an afterthought. Men of all creeds died in Canadian uniform, but we must not forget that most men lay toppled on the ground so that the same cross razed in Fredericton could be raised high. Eternal rest grant onto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Sources:

Edmonton Journal, “Vandals knock over cross on N.B. war memorial”, http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Vandals+knock+over+cross+memorial/2202845/story.html

CBC, “Vandals damage Fredericton cenotaph”, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/11/09/nb-cenotaph-vandalism-207.html