Remembrance Day services in Calgary, southern Alberta attract thousands

It was apacked house at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium this morning asCalgarians gathered for a Remembrance Day ceremony.

The event wasone of many going on across the city and region today, honouring those who have sacrificed their lives in service to the nation, as well as the men and women of the military who have sacrificed in other ways.

"Their scars are not always visible on the outside, but sometimes hidden deep within, and manifest in different ways," Rev. Bob Filliertoldthe crowd at the Jubilee.

"We remember themas well,"Fillier said.

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Mayor Naheed Nenshialso addressed the crowd at the Jubilee, describing Nov. 11as"such an important day in our calendar."

"It's a day where we can honour the women and men who have served and who continue to serve our nation," Nenshi said."It's an opportunity for us to reflect on warand to reflect on peace to reflect on what they mean for us as a nation, as a community, as individuals."

"We are deeply indebted to those who fought and died, but we are also proud of our current military service, and we're proud of the modern veterans who have returned from the fields of combat," the mayor added.

"It's not an easy thing to do. It's not a safe thing to do. But it's an important thing to do. It's a valuable thing to do."

Father's prayer

During theservice at the Field of Crosses on Memorial Drive, the father of a fallen soldier led the crowd in prayer.

"Lord, hold our troops and our veterans in your loving hands," saidGaetan Dallaire, whose son, Pte. Kevin Dallaire, was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.

"Protect them, as they protected and protect us," he said solemnly.

"Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they performed and perform for us in our time of need."

Massive human poppy

Muslims at Calgary's Baitun Nur Mosque, as part of their Remembrance Day ceremony, created a huge human poppy.

Calgary Muslims create massive human poppy for Remembrance Day

9 years ago

Duration 0:48

Hundreds of Muslims from Calgary's Baitun Nur Mosque formed a large human poppy to honour fallen soldiers

An organizer says his community wanted to pay it's respects.

"The heroes and the people who gave their lives for this country and for our freedoms, we must recognize them, we must salute them," Usman Mahmood said.

The mosque also raised $2,000 in donations for the veteransfood bank along with more than 450 kilogramsof food.

Honouring great-grandma

In Airdrie, students from Bert Church High School organized a Remembrance Day service for residents at the Bethany Care Centre.

"My great-grandma was a World War II veteran," said Grade 12 student ObelineWarne, who helped put together a video for the service.

"It's really important for me to honour her," Warne said.

Grade 11 student Cameron Swainsonwanted to get involved with the project in order to recognize the sacrifice of others.

"I'm here to pay respect to the veterans that have served," he said.

"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for them."

'Big lossfor a small town'

In Nanton, several hundred people gathered to lay wreaths at the town's Cenotaph.

Resident Dennis Muldoon saidthe dozens of names on the memorial mark a big loss for a small town.

"If you look at the list of names right on the cenotaph there, a lot of these are local names and these people have been here for many, many years," he said.

"Certain members of their familiesnever came home, so in a small community, everyone knows everyone, and it means that much more to them."