It was a sombre day in Rama First Nation Friday as the community gathered to celebrate National Indigenous Veterans Day.
Among those on hand to take part in today's ceremony was John McNeil, the officer commanding the support company for the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group.
McNeil joined the Canadian Armed Forces in November 1991 to continue a family tradition that was started by grandfathers from both sides of his family.
"I always knew that I wanted to be in the military," he said. "Myself and my twin brother Roderick joined the military and he's still in and I'm still serving."
McNeil says he also joined the military out of sense of patriotism. He says sacrificing his time and personal relationships has been worth it.
Today is National Indigenous Veterans Day.
— The Royal Canadian Legion (@RoyalCdnLegion) November 8, 2024
On this day, we encourage you to take a moment to honour and thank all Indigenous Veterans for their service.
Aujourd’hui, c’est la Journée nationale des anciens combattants autochtones.
Nous vous encourageons à prendre un moment pour… pic.twitter.com/ij4bYcAQ8k
"It's a good job," he said. "It provides transferable skills to the civilian sector. It provides leadership, self-discipline and things like that."
McNeil served in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, he was in South Sudan right after the revolution in 2014, and he served in Iraq from 2019 to 2020.
"In Afghanistan, we were in direct conflict at all times," he said. "When I hear The Last Post today, it brings back a lot of memories."
During his time overseas, McNeil was involved in a lot of ramp ceremonies for fallen soldiers.
"There were (soldiers from) 72 countries in Afghanistan ... Every time one of their soldiers fell, we went out and paid our respects," he explained.
McNeil says it's important to have community events such as the one held in Rama on Friday morning to honour veterans.
"For the Government of Canada to send its forces into combat, it's not a light task," he said. "Our veterans have sacrificed themselves both physically and mentally and have paid the ultimate sacrifice through death and conflict."
McNeil asks Canadians to keep remembering veterans and to have faith in the military that they are doing "everything possible" to keep the people of Canada safe.
Logan Beers, 13, attended the ceremony today with his classmates from Rama Central School.
"We are here to learn about and remember the soldiers who fought in the wars," he said. "They helped us and our country to be here today."
Over the past few weeks, Beers has spent some time researching veterans and their stories.
"Some of them weren't much older than me," he said. "That's kind of sad. I could only imagine how scared I would be if I was fighting in a war."
Beers says being at the Remembrance Day ceremony today gave him a sense of pride.
"It's very important to remember them," he said. "We should never forget."
Rama Central School student Ashton Blandford, 12, laid a wreath in honour of veterans during today's ceremony.
"Being here is really important," he said. "It's an honour to be a part of this."
Blandford is the great-grandson of a veteran of the Second World War.
"I never got to meet him," he explained. "But I'm thinking of him today and the sacrifices that were made so I could be here."
