陣亡將士紀念日當日所感（11月11日）

在國内年輕男女們歡慶他們的“光棍節”的時候，西方世界的很多國家正在為他們死去的先輩默哀。
因爲沒有任何信息渠道，我沒有能夠出席在Edmonton當地的陣亡將士紀念日的紀念活動，不過十一點前，我準時打開了收音機，收聽廣播電臺直播的在加拿大首都渥太華舉行的加拿大陣亡將士紀念活動。今年的儀式還特別請加拿大唯一在世的經歷過一戰的106嵗老兵John Babcock傳遞火炬並寄語紀念儀式。廣播背景中可以聽到隆隆的禮炮間隔性的轟鳴聲。
下午看了許多CBC關於全國各地陣亡將士紀念活動的報導。最完整的影音資料來自溫哥華。在那裏的唐人街，很多華裔老兵出席了紀念活動。不少年輕的華裔也前來悼念陣亡將士。CBC有一個影像文件是介紹二戰老兵Frank Wong的從軍經歷。他提到作爲華裔加拿大人，在早期沒有合法的公民地位，被人看不起。他是因爲希望為自己的國家做一些實實在在的貢獻來換取華人在加拿大的真正認可而積極報名從軍的。戰後一年多，他們全家獲得正式加拿大公民身份。在此次紀念活動的採訪中，在溫哥華採訪的記者曾經試圖提及本國在早期對於華人社區的歧視，不過話題剛開了一個頭，電視信號中斷，這一部分節目沒有能夠繼續完成。
整個紀念日確實是給予人們很多的反思與懷念。正如CBC在報導中指出的，紀念日不僅是老兵對於他們已故戰友和遠去的戰爭經歷的回憶，也是當代人對於先烈們創造今日和平世界的事跡以及現在正在為永遠結束所有戰爭而奮鬥的軍人們表示敬意的時刻。
在加拿大，很多人都會非常關注陣亡將士紀念日，甚至提前一個多星期胸口佩戴捐助老兵基金獲得的仿製罌粟花以紀念慘烈的一戰、二戰和其他很多重要的戰爭。而在Edmonton，公交車的報站顯示牌也於一周前打出“以免我們忘記 (Lest we forget)”的標語（該標語是紀念日的常用標語之一）。不過在中國，似乎現在很少有人如此長期地、自發地、真誠地而又懷有敬意地去回想我們的歷史。“以史為鋻”是中國人最常說的，卻未必是最常做的。

Today is Remembrance Day 2008, the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI. Around Canada and world, celebrations are held in memory of the end of the ridiculous war and the lives of thousands of innocent people died during the war.
I didn’t attend the ceremony held in Edmonton as a lack of information. However, at around 11 o’clock, I listened to the radio for the remembrance service held in Ottawa and watched TV programmes from CBC on ceremonies held around Canada.
The programme of the service in the British Columbia is the most complete version. I can see a lot of Chinese descendants there servicing Canada’s army. Frank Wong, the son of a shop keeper and a veteran of the WWII, told the reporter about his experience to win the respect and the equal rights of Canadian Chinese citizen by serving the army.
In Ottawa, the only surviving veteran John Babcock who was in uniform during the WWI passed the torch of remembrance to a veteran of WWII, a torch then passed to a veteran of Korean War, a peacekeeper who served in the Middle East and a soldier who fought in Afghanistan.
Every year, it’s time for the veterans and soldiers to bring memories of their late comrades and friends in the war. It is also time for people living in the new era to remember the heroes and heroines who brought the peace and who are devoted to end all war forever.
I didn’t attend the ceremonies in person, but I get the information that is conveyed by the remembrance service.
Lest we forget.