I just read this in Canoe, Winnipeg Sun, written/told by someone serving today, and talking about the diference in his "Remembrance Day" for him and others now. 
Quote:
By RUSSELL D. STORRING
The National War Memorial will once again be the focus of the attention for Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa today. (Sun files)
One of the smallest, and yet one of the most meaningful Remembrance Days for me came as the sun started to rise on the horizon, and a light breeze whipped the dust of the Kandahar airfield into our faces.
It was 0630, and as we would be on the road during the Remembrance Day ceremony, Maj. Atherton had arranged to have the padre conduct a little ceremony before we left. Standing with my fellow soldiers, our rifles slung, our helmets off, with our Coyotes and LAV III's idling in the near distance, we bowed our heads and prayed.
The irony of heading into possible danger on Nov. 11 wasn't lost on any of us, and for some of those standing in our small group this ceremony probably had a little more meaning to it than it might have before.
Two days earlier, as our convoy headed from Kabul to Kandahar, we were ambushed near the town of Ghazni. Small arms fire erupted in the dark beside us, spraying the vehicles with a hail of bullets. Four rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) tore through the convoy's path, passing harmlessly between vehicles and flying off into the night.
We had thankfully avoided injuries, and now stood around the padre in the early morning light, remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in wars, battles and peacekeeping missions.
Far-off places like Vimy Ridge, Ortona and Cyprus, and not-so-far-off places like Tarnak Farm and Kabul made it that much more personal. I thought of how many soldiers before us, whether on peacekeeping duty or in wars, who, just like us, had an impromptu moment to reflect and remember before carrying on, possibly into harm's way.
As the ceremony finished, we donned our helmets, climbed into our vehicles and headed out into the early Afghan morning.
As we readied our weapons, I thought of how odd it was that on a day we are supposed to be remembering the fallen, here we are ready and prepared to fight if the need arises.
At 11 a.m., as I continued to glance at the passing countryside, I thought of as many Canadian battles as I could and wondered what would have been going through the men's minds back then.
I knew that in a few more short months, I would be headed home, unlike soldiers in the first and second world wars -- they stayed until the job was done, or they were injured or killed.
I can't even imagine what that would do to a person's psyche. Maybe the thought of fighting global tyranny or fighting the good fight sustained both the soldiers and the families for years on end.
It is something that, even after three tours, my family and I can't fathom.
Now almost a year later, I will be standing on parade in Trenton with my fellow soldiers, many of whom I have served with in Afghanistan, and others who are preparing to leave shortly.
There is no threat to life or limb for me this year, but I know there are thousands of our fellow soldiers, fellow Canadians, who are still in harm's way on this Remembrance Day, risking their lives to do what Canada has asked of them.
This Nov. 11 should be no different than all the others, as we remember those who have laid down their lives for us in far off places like The Somme, Vimy Ridge, Ortona, Caen, Hill 355, and Kapyong.
Yet this year it is different.
This year we have to remember the 43 Canadians who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan, in places like Kabul, Kandahar, Panjway and Pashmul. We also have to remember Canadians who continue to die in the service of peace while serving the UN in places like Kiyam, Lebanon.
Like so many soldiers before them, these men and women left the security and safety of their homes, leaving behind wives, husbands, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers to do what Canada has asked them to do; and that is to put Canada before self. Like the rest of us they had futures and dreams for themselves and their children. Yet when asked there was no hesitation, there was no question; they answered the call of service to fight a new war of global proportions.
Answering that call in itself is noteworthy, and I for one am proud to stand beside my fellow soldiers who do just that, and continue to do that every day.
For those Canadians who answered the call and paid the ultimate sacrifice, they have earned a spot that can never be forgotten. They are part of our existence, part of Canada itself, and part of what we are known for.
We are free because of those Canadians who selflessly laid down their lives for ours, so that we can continue to live as we do, as Canadians.
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