{"id":83079,"date":"2021-11-11T11:11:58","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=83079"},"modified":"2022-04-21T16:07:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T20:07:15","slug":"ottawa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=83079","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Unknown Soldier"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In May 2000, an unknown soldier was exhumed from a Canadian grave at the <a href=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=82587\">Cabaret-Rouge war cemetery<\/a> in France and moved to Ottawa for a grand ceremony, military procession and final burial in a tomb by the National War Memorial.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sm-IMG_7041.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sm-IMG_7041.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-82582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sm-IMG_7041.jpg 650w, https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sm-IMG_7041-595x396.jpg 595w, https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/sm-IMG_7041-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>His remains represent all 28,000 unidentified Canadian soldiers who lay anonymously with no known grave. <\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve wanted to attend the National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa for a very long time. Finally, in 2021, I was one of a small number of people who were able to attend, pay my respects and see the tomb.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-83079 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94994'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.20.55-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94993'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.20.40-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94992'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.18.15-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94991'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.17.13-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94990'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.15.38-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94988'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.12.27-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94987'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/med-2021-11-11-14.18.44-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94986'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/med-2021-11-11-14.12.09-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94989'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-14.14.17-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3>Memorial Hall<\/h3>\n<p>The vestiges of the unknown soldier aren&#8217;t limited to the National War Memorial. <\/p>\n<p>There is a small, quiet reflection area in the middle of the Canadian War Museum where on November 11 at precisely 11:00 in the morning, a ray of sunlight comes through a window to shine on the headstone taken from the grave of the unknown soldier. <\/p>\n<p>To experience this is incredibly moving.  <\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-83079 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94997'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-12.15.49-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94998'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-12.16.29-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=94999'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-12.17.01-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Only one person is allowed into the reflection area at once. For those folks who are unable to be in Ottawa (or the war museum) at that time&#8230; the event is live-streamed on the museum&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warmuseum.ca\/remember\/\">remembrance page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Identity Tags<\/h3>\n<p>Ever wonder why so many men from the first world war are listed as unknown soldiers in CWGC cemeteries? <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s because the identity tags worn by soldiers during WWI were not metal. They were made of leather and were REMOVED from bodies after a battle and brought back to HQ for logging who was KIA. <\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-83079 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=95001'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-11.54.46-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/wend.ca\/?attachment_id=95000'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/sm-2021-11-11-11.54.31-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>When the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) returned to the front after the war to retrieve bodies, they couldn&#8217;t identify the men because&#8230;their identity tags had been removed. Those tags that weren&#8217;t initially recovered rotted with the bodies.<\/p>\n<p>This is why soldiers now wear metal dog tags. And, it&#8217;s also why people like me (and many others) sift through medical, archival and burial records to try and give these men names.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nIn May 2000, an unknown soldier was exhumed from a Canadian grave&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=83079\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Remembering the Unknown Soldier&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,133,761],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canada","category-ontario","category-ottawa","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83079"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95028,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83079\/revisions\/95028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}