Politics must be set aside to have a Remembrance Day rooted in gratitude. One that ensures our fallen will not be forgotten. One that ensures our injured are cared for. One that defends the rights and freedoms they fought for. One that ensures those currently serving are given the resources and training they need to deter future threats. One that helps ensure future accountability for the state of our military and national security.

Since 1867, Canadians have joined together in our Army, Navy, and Air Force, ready to sacrifice their own lives to defend their fellow Canadians and others. They have served with honour, dignity, resolute determination, and a love for their fellow soldiers, sailors, and airmen/women on their right and left.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my grandfather, my great-uncles, and their entire generation who served and stood at Ypres, Beaumont-Hamel, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, the German offensive of 1918, the Last One Hundred Days, the final series of Canadian-led offensives in 1918 that broke the German Army and helped end the First World War, and on hundreds of other days in the First World War. In the first Battle of the Atlantic and in new flying machines, fighters, reconnaissance, and bombers. Land, sea, and air. Facing unimaginable horrors. Many of my relatives and their generation lie in graves in foreign countries. I stand for all of them.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my father and my mother, my uncles, and my aunts, and their entire generation who served and fought at Hong Kong, Dieppe, Sicily, Italy, D-Day, Caen, the Falaise Gap, Walcheren, and Holland in the Second World War. They battled through the Atlantic and flew fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, and bombers across the European and Pacific theatres. They endured brutal combat, crushing losses, and unimaginable hardship. Many of my relatives and their generation lie in graves in foreign countries. I stand for all of them.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my family members and their entire generation who served at Kapyong and in countless other battles in the Korean War. They fought through bitter conditions and relentless conflict far from home, many never returning. I stand for all of them.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my generation who served throughout the long Cold War. They deployed across the world, often for months at a time, standing watch against communism and authoritarian regimes that threatened our fundamental rights and freedoms. They lived with the constant weight of risk, prepared every day to give their lives if required. I stand for all of them.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my generation who served during the era of United Nations peacekeeping. They stepped into fragile, volatile regions to stabilize communities torn apart by instability and authoritarian rule. They faced danger without hesitation and bore the strain of long separations from home. I stand for all of them.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember my generation and the current generation who served in Gulf War One, Afghanistan, and other post-9/11 operations. They faced insurgency, chaos, and the brutal realities of modern warfare. The Highway of Heroes, the route fallen soldiers travel from CFB Trenton to Toronto, stands as a stark reminder of that sacrifice.

As a Canadian, I stand on Remembrance Day to remember the current generation who serve for us today. They deploy across the globe, often for extended periods away from their families, standing against instability and authoritarian threats that target the rights we rely on. They face physical and emotional risk with unwavering commitment. The tragedy in Wainwright has once again confirmed the commitment of this generation to our Rights and Freedoms, at times causing the ultimate sacrifice. I stand for all of them.

Canada has a proud tradition of honour, determination, and ability in the protection of our country and all it stands for.

It is time to have an unapologetically determined Remembrance Day.

I personally am determined to stand for all those who joined, served, fought, and died on land, sea, and air, to defend our democracy and protect others.

David Redman had a distinguished military career before becoming head of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency in 2004. He led the development of the 2005 Provincial Pandemic Influenza Plan and retired in 2013. He writes for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.