It’s a strange time for Moose Jaw’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 59, as the coronavirus is preventing the organization from celebrating some important historical milestones and events.
It’s a shame that the pandemic has prevented major celebrations from happening to acknowledge the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on May 8, said legion president Sharon Erickson. Normally a national legion delegation would travel to Europe to take part in activities, but that won’t be the case this year.
“It’s difficult to find a way to honour (the veterans) unless we do it as an individual,” she said. “We can’t honour those members that served over there or paid the ultimate price. It’s strange because normally we would be out doing just that.”
The 75th anniversary is significant since most of the one million men and women who enlisted during that war are no longer living, Erickson remarked. However, those who are still living — around 30,000 nation-wide — deserve as much recognition as possible since their contributions count and matter.
Saskatchewan Command has asked all provincial legions and legion members to wear red on Friday, May 8 to honour this important milestone.
Another event that Branch 59 won’t be able to celebrate this year is Decoration Day in June. This is when legion members and cadets clean up veterans’ headstones in the cemetery and place Canadian flags beside the plots.
Instead, explained Erickson, the legion will encourage people to use Facebook to post a picture of the Canadian flag to acknowledge this day. The organization is also encouraging people to post a picture of someone from Moose Jaw who might have served during war.
“That’s the only thing that will keep our community safe and honour the people who have served our country so well,” she added.
