by Evan Dugan
VANCOUVER, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bill Newton, a Canadian medical veteran, grasped a wreath and waited for his turn to place the token of respect at the foot of Vancouver's downtown war memorial here on Sunday.
He wanted to pay his respects to all of those in the Canadian forces who have fought or served in armed conflicts around the world over the past century or more.
Newtown served in the medical corps, providing first for the Canadian forces on the battlefields in the last century.
"If we didn't go out and fight these wars where they started, they would eventually come here ...," he told Xinhua, shortly after placing his wreath.
Thousands of people attended the memorial. They wore bright red poppies on their lapels and viewed the ceremonies and march of Canadian servicemen from in and around Victory Square Park.
Newton said he was glad to see so many people continue to honor the Canadian forces who served in the past and are serving now.
"I'm very grateful for the people of Vancouver, I tell you," he said.
"There are a number of times over there during the war I wondered what the hell am I doing here? Is this worth it? Does anybody know what we're doing? But here when I see this, the gratitude that people show. It makes it worthwhile," he said.
This year's Remembrance Day memorial is especially notable. It marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War.
In all, 630,000 Canadians fought in that war. More than 66,000 of them were killed and another 180,000 were wounded in the war that raged from 1914 to 1918.
Remembrance Day ceremonies have been held here at Vancouver's downtown cenotaph for 94 years in a row.
The event included a prayer of remembrance, and the recital of the famous war poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Flanders is the name of a First World War battlefield.
Later Sunday, another Remembrance Day ceremony was held in Vancouver's Chinatown at the Chinese war memorial, which was attended by Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Canadian Justice Minister and Chinese Consul General in Vancouver Tong Xiaoling.
Until after the Second World War, Chinese-Canadians faced discrimination in Canada and were not afforded the same rights as others. But hundreds of Chinese-Canadians decided to fight for Canada in conflicts around the world anyway.
The sacrifices of those volunteers eventually helped Chinese-Canadians win the right to vote and to be officially treated as equals.
"Historically, the Chinese were registered aliens until 1947 when the new citizenship bill came into being and we became officially equals and citizens of Canada," said Maj. Alfred Woo, the organizer of the Chinatown Remembrance Day ceremony and a veteran himself.
"That's why it's so important to commemorate the struggles and sacrifices ...," he said.
