#military-service

#military-service

Veterans and loved ones gathered at the Spirit Garden outside Toronto's city hall on Saturday for a ceremony honouring Indigenous veterans. With beaded poppies, music and sacred offerings, about 100 attendees paid homage to the lives lost in service. Indigenous Veterans Day was first commemorated in 1994 and is celebrated across the country on Nov. 8. Rob Baskey, senator for the Metis Nation of Ontario Veterans Council, said Indigenous Veterans Day honours Indigenous members of the military, but also remembers the injustice they faced.

When people hear my name these days, it's usually followed by "former British soldier captured in Mariupol." Or worse, "foreign fighter" as if I'd spent my weekends pledging allegiance to some jihad. The truth is simpler: I was a Ukrainian Marine. Why journalists find it so hard to say that without choking on their morning coffee, or realising they're parroting a Russian talking point is beyond me.

Derek Huffman relocated his family to Russia via a Kremlin-backed visa scheme, aiming for traditional values. Initially, he assumed a non-combat role but now finds himself near the Ukraine front.

Peggy Ann Belle, age 68, dedicated over 35 years to education as a teacher in New York, Virginia, and Maryland before passing away on May 1, 2025.

I've always believed in personal growth, and I've always wanted to make a difference.

Ray Christian joined the U.S. Army in 1978 as a means to start his life. He became a paratrooper, an infantryman, and a drill sergeant.

"If [music] had anything but piano and organ, like if it had electric guitar or drums, it was considered Satanic or bad," he says, highlighting the extremism of his parents' beliefs. "We weren't allowed to go to movie theaters, we weren't allowed to watch movies, we didn't have TV. All the girls in our house had to wear skirts ... even to bed, I had to wear skirts."

A survey revealed a push for increased defense spending across Europe, highlighting majorities in countries like Poland and Denmark, signaling a shift in security priorities.

"I heard some men talk about the Orangeburg Massacre... I'm going to have to come here, put my name on this institutional wall because of the sacrifice of these three men."

"I gave myself the nickname, 'Cat' Morris because I thought I had nine lives," he says. Perhaps his first was used while part of the Anti-Aircraft Battery during London's Blitz."

Thinking of the long-term impact of a military career, I realized that 20-plus years as a SEAL could mean serious bodily injuries and strained personal relationships. I couldn’t afford to go down that path.

Sandy Bellou recalled her mother's sorrow over her brother's fate, who went missing after a plane crash in WWII, leaving the family without closure.

Frascati stated, “It was an honor to recognize two places that shaped my own path to serve. Serving my community and my country has been a privilege, and I look forward to continuing to serve.”

The loss of a colleague and friend, with as vast an experience as his, is felt throughout his whole unit and the wider Defence Forces.