Time is running out for sponsors to put the name of a past or present military member, RCMP, or first responder in front of each of the 128 Canadian flags at the Flags of Remembrance tribute on Highway 11.
The flags went up in September near Sylvan Lake on both sides of the highway over a one-km stretch to represent the 128,000 Canadian military members and RCMP officers and missing-in-action service personnel lost in service since the Boer War.
“The names on those plaques actually act as a guardian of 1,000 souls that each one of those flags represents. We want to get a name in front of every one of those flags that people drive by on the highway,” said Veterans Voices of Canada founder Al Cameron.
The flags and plaques will come down on Nov. 12. So far about one quarter of the flags have a plaque.
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A closing ceremony for the annual tribute will be held indoors at the end of November where sponsors, or the person named on the plaque, will be presented with their plaque and a flag.
Flags of Remembrance is Veterans Voices of Canada’s only annual fundraiser. Money raised helps with veteran documentation, the History Interest, Learning and Support Centre (micro museum) and the daily operation of Veterans Voices.
“Remembrance Day isn’t one day of the year for us. It’s every day for us at Veterans Voices of Canada.”
To sponsor a plaque, go to www.vetvoicecan.org and fill out a form on the Flags of Remembrance page.
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Veterans Voices of Canada is also hosting retired Cpl. Brock Blaszczyk at the micro museum in Parkland Mall on Oct. 29, from 6 to 7 p.m. Blaszczyk will speak about his experiences in Afghanistan. Tickets are $25 per each. Seating is limited. For ticket information visit Veterans Voices of Canada on Facebook.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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