OTTAWA (CP) - Soldiers wounded in Kandahar stood shoulder to shoulder with veterans of past conflicts Saturday, marking a Remembrance Day where Afghanistan had seared itself into the national consciousness alongside the wars of Canada's past.
Not since the Korean War, over half a century ago, have so many new names been etched into the granite of memorials across the country.
Compelled by the sense that the country is once again at war, Canadians seemed to set aside their political differences over the controversial Afghan mission and turned out by the thousands at cenotaphs from coast to coast.
"We think that all of the wars are distasteful, but we do support our troops overseas and what they are trying to do," said Gary Seveny, of Ottawa, who was among an estimated 25,000 people in Confederation Square just a few steps from Parliament Hill.
Sue Lubowitz, of Newmarket, Ont., brought her family to Ottawa specifically to mark Remembrance Day in the nation's capital.
She said she felt obligated because of what Canada's troops are going through in Afghanistan.
"It's our duty to come out and show appreciation for what they've done," said Lubowitz, standing behind a barricade and watching a parade of veterans.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, two collages depicting the faces of the 42 Canadians killed in Afghanistan since 2002 were carefully placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The sense of loss felt this Remembrance Day was particularly real for several communities across the country and for the 2,500 troops stationed half a world away.
"I know guys whose buddies have died, they're going to go over to those people's places just to bring it home for them and make them feel more comfortable," said Lt. Terry MacCormac, who presided over the wreath-laying ceremony at the Edmonton Garrison - the first such formal ceremony in a decade.
"It's a hard day and a sobering day for soldiers that are currently serving."
The garrison is home to the recently returned 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. At least 13 of the 42 Canadians killed in Afghanistan over the last five years were based in Edmonton - the most from any military post in the nation.
Overseas, Canadian troops in the Panjwaii district, west of Kandahar, held a simple but moving ceremony.
They laid a wreath and wept at the base of a wooden cross near a stretch of road where a number of their comrades have died in heavy fighting over the last few weeks.
This year's Silver Cross Mother, Alice Murphy of Conception Harbour, N.L., made the sign of the cross as she stood before the soaring granite memorial in Ottawa.
She is the mother 26-year-old Cpl. Jamie Murphy, who was killed Jan. 27, 2004, on a Kabul street when a suicide bomber jumped onto the hood of his jeep.
Alice Murphy represents all Canadian mothers who have lost children in military and merchant navy service.
In Truro, N.S., the mothers of three soldiers with ties to the community held hands as they walked up to the cenotaph to lay a wreath in honour of their sons.
Warrant Officer Frank Mellish, Cpl. Christopher Reid and Sgt. Darcy Tedford all called Truro or the surrounding area home at some point in their lives.
A fourth soldier, who was killed in Afghanistan after being mistakenly attacked by a U.S. warplane in 2002, Pte. Nathan Smith, also had ties to the Truro area.
"I didn't expect to be laying a wreath or be a Silver Cross mother," said Tedford's mother Paulette said after the service.
"My son to me was invincible, and I never thought he'd be coming home in a coffin."
Brig.-Gen Stanley Johnstone, the Canadian Forces head chaplain, made reference to Afghanistan when he addressed the national service in Ottawa.
"We are inspired to look forward to a world where there is no war," the Lutheran minister said.
In past wars, "we were able to be victorious and we hope to be again," said Johnstone, who has ministered at CFB Petawawa, Ont., home to troops currently serving overseas.
To aging veterans, who stood side by side with recently wounded soldiers from Afghanistan, Johnstone said Remembrance Day, "is pulled directly from our love and admiration of yesterday's soldiers. You are today's heroes."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canadians should also recognize the sacrifices of those ranks are dwindling.
"There's been a lot of talk this year about the fact there are still three World War One veterans living and I think we should cherish every moment they're still with us," he said.
In Toronto, First World War veterans Lloyd Clemett, 106, and Dwight Wilson, 105, were among 500 war veterans and hundreds of others at Sunnybrook Hospital's Warriors' Hall for a wreath ceremony.
As the band played, Wilson tapped his knee and added his voice to "O Canada" and "God Save The Queen."
Clemett, Wilson and 106-year-old John Babcock, who now lives in Spokane, Wash., are the last three surviving Canadian veterans from the Great War.
A moment of silence at the end of the ceremony was broken when a Second World War veteran declared Harper "a traitor."
As decorated veteran Peter Bate left the hall, he said he was sorry that one of the day's speakers, Cpl. Denver Williams, came back from Afghanistan in a wheelchair.
As he blamed Harper for Williams's injuries he was heckled by other veterans who said the day was not supposed to be political.
Later, outside the hospital, Bate said he was "fed up with people wanting to go to war."
He said defending your country is honourable but fighting in "unjust" wars is not, specifically referring to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Quebec, where the war is viewed with deep skepticism, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said the international sacrifice of Canadian soldiers, including Quebecers, transcends national politics.
"We're living on the same planet," Duceppe said. "We're acting in solidarity."
The normally busy downtown blocks around Vancouver's cenotaph fell silent for a ceremony that saw two soldiers who served in Afghanistan place a wreath at the monument.
Peter Veuger was moved by the turnout of about 1,000 people in attendance. He recounted being liberated during the Second World War in the Netherlands by Canadian forces.
"I think it's wonderful to see so many people out here," he said, pausing to hold back tears. "Today I laid a wreath on behalf of all the dead men. It really touched me."
