Fallen heroes remembered

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

After a decade of inactivity for the Memorial Print project in conjunction with the Strathmore Legion, the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation is gathering speed in finding sponsorships within the community to honour the remaining 20 fallen soldiers mentioned on the Strathmore Cenotaph.
Strathmore’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 10 recently acquired their latest plaque, a 23 inch by 19 inch oak-framed memorial, and is in the process of obtaining three more. The project was kick-started in 2003 with 25 prints, followed by three prints in 2005, and then the recent addition in 2015. Local businesses in the community have already stepped up to sponsor a print, such as PJ’s Appliances and Strathmore Motor Products, and even the town has received a request for a $2,500 platinum sponsorship.
“These are for anyone who was killed in action in any kind of conflict right up to including Afghanistan,” said Jenny Schumann, president of the Strathmore Legion.
“The [foundation] wants to see all the people on cenotaphs to have their pictures done like these ones, and display it throughout the town so that people know these guys did not die in vain. You can’t compare what happened then to what’s happening now, but you can’t forget it.”
Schumann said the plaques are displayed throughout the Town of Strathmore and Wheatland County. While 28 soldiers mentioned on the cenotaph have already received their plaque, Schumann said the goal is to find enough sponsors to recognize all 48 names. By doing so, she hopes the awareness around town will attract the attention of the younger generation, who she feels are becoming less involved.
“We’re getting less and less kids involved in the poppy and poster contest,” she said. “It seems to me that it’s being more and more forgotten. You hear it at Remembrance Day, and that’s only one day a year. Maybe if you walked by it and there’s a couple pictures here and there in different places, like the library, arena, fire department, more local places where people frequent, they’ll see it more and maybe it’ll stick in their head a little more.”
While the emphasis is placed on the cenotaph, many of the fallen soldiers who have already received plaques received recognition because of information provided by family members and friends. In a letter to the Town of Strathmore, the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation acknowledge their collaboration with the Strathmore branch to research, track down photos, and information about the individuals.
“Every one is separate and they’re beautiful,” said Councillor Denise Peterson. “It has biographical data on it and they’re very attractive and very well done. Every year when we would do the Remembrance Day ceremonies, you wanted to make it as real and meaningful for young people as you possibly could, when I looked at those pictures I couldn’t believe how meaningful they would be to youth and to everyone.”
According to Schumann, she will present the recently acquired plaque to council in January along with more information. The foundation is expecting to unveil the memorials at the Legion during a veterans’ appreciation luncheon in February.