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Castor Legion Plaque Program nears completion

Remembrance Day ceremony to held at the Castor Community Hall at 10 a.m.
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The Castor Legion plaque program is almost complete, with nearly 40 plaques out of a total of 47 adorning the walls of the Legion. The remainder of the plaques will be in place early in the New Year. The Legion members are planning an open house when they are all in place, watch for details in the new year. Kevin J. Sabo photo

By Kevin J. Sabo For the Advance

The Greek philosopher Plato said, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

Canadians have been key players in the wars of the 20th century.

Communities from across the prairies have sent their sons and daughters to fight in foreign lands, and it is well-known that not everyone who goes to war makes it home.

Thanks to a project being worked on by Castor Legion (#119) those lost are now being remembered. Thanks to a variety of fundraising efforts and private donors, the Legion is purchasing plaques of remembrance through the Fallen Heroes Foundation, a western Canadian group putting faces to the fallen and reminding everyone of the true cost of war.

Castor’s plaque program began around a year ago, when four plaques that had been researched by the Fallen Heroes Foundation showed up.

A local community member who lost a family member to war had been donating to the Foundation over the years, and the Foundation sent the plaques.

Seeing how well they turned out, the decision was made to pursue more of the plaques, at a cost of $250 each.

At the outset of the project, the Castor Legion was only aware of 35 Castor soldiers who were killed in combat while serving in the military, and their names have been inscribed in a plaque attached to the Cenotaph since 2011.

During their research for the plaques, the Foundation found the names of 12 more soldiers with a Castor connection.

“We had no idea about some of these names,” said Sandi Jackson, who’s been helping with the project.

Once all the plaques are in place the Legion plans to hold an open house so community members can see the display and pay their respects.

Around 40 of the plaques will be installed prior to Remembrance Day, and the remaining will be installed early in the new year.

Before all the plaques are in place, Castor residents are invited to pay their respects to Canada’s soldiers, both living and dead, at the 2019 Remembrance Day ceremony being held at the Castor Community Hall.

Everyone is welcome, and the the ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11th.