As Canadians gathered at Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country on Tuesday, they remembered their dead from all wars, past and present.
And when Ottawa's Peace Tower bell rang 11 times at 11 a.m., followed by the traditional two minutes of silence, 90 years had officially passed since the end of the First World War.
More than 100,000 Canadians have died in wars over the past century, including:
- nearly 69,000 in the First World War;
- 47,000 in the Second World War;
- 517 in the Korean War;
- 112 in peacekeeping missions around the globe; and
- 97 during the current war in Afghanistan.
In Ottawa, onlookers that included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean watched Avril Stachnik place a wreath at the memorial -- part of her duty as this year's Silver Cross Mother, when she represented the parents of all fallen soldiers.
Her son, Sgt. Shane Stachnik, died in Afghanistan two Septembers ago.
Master Cpl. Paul Franklin was one of the veterans watching that moment.
"You really get a sense of the connection between the old veterans and the new veterans, the old wounded and the new wounded like myself," said Franklin, who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan in 2006.
"We used to look at them from a distance and now we're part of that."
"We used to think that the thought of war and remembrance was being forgotten and in actuality, I think it's getting stronger than ever. Every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger."
And in a compelling moment, the torch of remembrance was symbolically passed on by John Babcock.
At 108, Babcock is the only surviving Canadian who was in uniform during the First World War.
Babcock appeared via video, his image projected on screens around the grounds.
He urged those who would carry the torch to "hold it high."
One of those who is likely to carry on the memory is William Chapman, a 10-year-old Scout who laid a wreath on the memorial.
He spoke to CTV's Rosemary Thompson with 86-year-old Alan Griffin, a former British fighter pilot.
Chapman said the "amazing" sacrifice by people like Griffin makes him realize "there is something that is better than the best."
Griffin, who still volunteers as a Scout leader, said he blocked out his war memories for years. He only began opening up about his experiences when his grandson asked to hear his stories.
"I told him some things but I didn't tell him all. It was too painful. I was sent there with friends and they're not here anymore, and this is why we do what we're doing now -- for those that didn't make it," Griffin said from the Canadian War Memorial.
Similar ceremonies involving veterans both old and young, their families and friends, as well as the survivors of those lost in war, took place across the country.
Charlotte Lynn Smith laid a wreath in Halifax at the Grand Parade cenotaph in front of hundreds of onlookers.
Her son, Pte. Nathan Smith, was one of four Canadian soldiers killed when an American jet accidentally dropped a bomb on them in April 2002.
Thomas Bradshaw, an 89-year-old British army vet, was touched by the simple kindness of a young child who thanked him for his wartime service at the same ceremony.
"I had a little boy come up to me and thank me," he said. "It was very nice."
In St. John's, local services saw Premier Danny Williams unveil a plaque to honour those serving in Afghanistan.
In Quebec, eight veterans received special medals from the province's national assembly. In Montreal, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe praised the courage of Quebec's soldiers.
"Some have really sacrificed a lot by placing themselves between opposing forces in peacekeeping operations and others are currently in Afghanistan very far from home," he said.
At the University of Alberta, an estimated 5,000 people gathered at the Van Vliet Centre -- an indoor track and field facility -- to pay their respects on Remembrance Day.
They applauded the members of the Edmonton Garrison as they marched.
Second World War veteran Lloyd Reed came to the building in his wheelchair. His leg was amputated after he was wounded with shrapnel while fighting in Belgium.
"A lot of these people I never got to know," he said. "A lot of memories there."
Arnold Brand, who fought in the Korean War, brought his five-year-old grandson Nathan, whom "likes to participate" in Remembrance Day.
"I tell him about it and let him know and explain it all to him," he said.
Ceremonies in B.C. saw thousands gather for a rain-soaked ceremony in Vancouver's Victory Square.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell was one of many to lay a wreath at the base of the park's cenotaph.
In an interview on Tuesday afternoon, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynzcyk said Canadians seem to feel increasingly connected to their military.
"These past few years, our men and women have been serving in places like Afghanistan, but also throughout Africa and the Mediterranean. People are now seeing what these men and women are doing," he told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.
With files from The Canadian Press
