www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/11/11/remembrance051111.htmlSunrise ceremonies honour military's fallen As the sun rose on Remembrance Day, Canadians across the country marked the occasion with solemn daybreak ceremonies.
And later this morning, a new memorial to members of Canada's military, the Seventh Book of Remembrance, will be unveiled in Ottawa as part of the country's Remembrance Day ceremonies.
The black leather-bound book contains the names of more than 1,000 Canadian Forces members who have died in the service of their country from October 1947 to today, not including those who died in the Korean War, which has a separate book.
The Seventh Book of Remembrance marks the first time fallen peacekeepers have been recognized in this way. It will be placed alongside six previous books in the Memorial Chamber below the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
The first six books contain the names of Canadians killed in the South African War and the Nile Expedition, the First and Second World Wars and Korea.
There are also books to honour the Merchant Navy and soldiers from Newfoundland, which only joined Confederation in 1949.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean will dedicate the latest book on Parliament Hill as part of Remembrance Day ceremonies.
One of those whose names will appear in the book is Sgt. Marc Leger. He died in 2002 in Afghanistan along with three fellow soldiers, killed by a bomb dropped from an American fighter plane.
His father and mother, Richard and Claire Leger, will take part in the ceremony. Claire Leger is this year's Silver Cross Mother.
Claire Leger says she expects she'll feel pride but at the same time deep sorrow when the Governor General unveils the book and she sees her son's name.
"It's like we're burying our son one more time. But if you don't have that recognition, and these ceremonies, it's extremely important," she said. "It's almost like you're happy that it's going on, but it's not because it makes you so sad. You're in between the two."
Nancy Ellis, an Ottawa calligrapher, wrote every name in the book. It took her four months in her studio to complete the list of names in ink on calf-skin parchment.
Writing the names, she says, allowed her time to think of each person who died.
"I think, at my age, I feel more sorry for the families. I think that's always the worst part," she said. "And I don't know whether it really helps. It hasn't happened to me.
"So, I don't know whether it really, truly helps to go to a memorial book in a memorial chamber and see your loved one's name in a book. But I really hope it does. I really hope that it provides them with some sense of solace."
Richard and Claire Leger are sure they'll take some comfort seeing their son's name in the book. But his loss is still a source of immense sorrow for them and Remembrance Day brings it all to the surface.
Ellis calls the Seventh Book of Remembrance a living volume. Entire pages are blank. But over time, those pages will be filled.
