I realize we've already passed May the 4th, also referred to as "May the 4th be with you" to Star Wars fans everywhere. But, for me, May the 4th has a different solemn significance. Private Ellwyne Ballantyne, one of the main characters of my upcoming novel, Rooted and Remembered, is remembered in Ottawa each year on May the 4th. His name is recordered in Canada's Books of Remembrance, a series of eight books recording the names of the more than 120,000 Canadians who have given their lives in service.
And since learning about his story, every year on May the 4th, I pause and think of Ellwyne Ballantyne and all those whose lives were cut short. It's the absolute least I can do.
How do you remember our veterans?
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