WALPOLE ISLAND FIRST NATION – Although military battles that claimed the lives of residents here are long over, there’s a youthful atmosphere at the Remembrance Day ceremony held Thursday.
WALPOLE ISLAND FIRST NATION – Although the military battles that claimed the lives of residents here are long over, there was a youthful atmosphere at Thursday’s Remembrance Day ceremony.
The Bkejwanong Children’s Center is just a stone’s throw from the Veteran’s Monument at the First Nations. As pre-school children ran around the grounds, the color guard formed outside the center before marching to the monument and taking up their positions.
“In our beautiful Ojibwe culture, veterans have always been highly respected,” said Edwin Taylor, who served as emcee for the Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Several young people, including members of the Future Elders from Wallaceburg District secondary school, took part in the ceremony by reading messages and laying wreaths on the cenotaph.
“It’s a good reminder to have this every year,” said 17-year-old Sage Kicknosway, who participated in the Bkejwanong Children’s Centre-hosted service. “I think it’s great. It’s getting people involved and having that human connection.”
Makaiyah Stonefish, 15, said she felt special being part of such an important community event.
“I think it’s very special and very interesting that Walpole Island holds events like this for our veterans,” she said. “It’s really good for the community.”
Halle Miskokomon, 16, the granddaughter of Walpole Island Chief Daniel Miskokomon, said she had attended many of these ceremonies in the past.
Before gaining more knowledge about the significance of the service as she got older, Miskokomon admitted to never fully appreciating the importance of the ceremony and “getting together as a community and just appreciating what the veterans have done for us.”
Her grandfather, Chief Miskokomon, told those attending: “Today is special in remembering our veterans, but also who fought for the freedom we share today.”
He encouraged those in attendance to acknowledge them and say hello to the veterans that they meet.
Walpole Island has a rich history of community members who have served in the military on both sides of the border, dating back to the American Civil War in the 1860s.
Taylor said Oliver Ar-Pe-Targe-Zhik served as a member of the Michigan Sharp-Shooter unit, Company K, which comprised Indigenous soldiers.
The children’s center now houses three medals Ar-Pe-Targe-Zhik earned during the American Civil War, including the US Civil War Medal, the Sharp-Shooter Medal and the Purple Heart.
Walpole Island resident Ken Soney, who served with the US 2n/a Battalions, 4th Marines during the Vietnam War in 1965 and 1966, proudly pointed to a badge showing their nickname, Magnificent Bastards.
“Our unit was one of the first to do battle in Vietnam,” he said.
Soney, who laid a wreath in honor of Vietnam veterans, said, it felt good to be honored in his community.
A highlight for him was the ceremony’s conclusion, when the veterans lined up after marching back to the children’s center so the young people could shake their hands.
“It makes you feel good,” he said.