Jim Mason
Columns
November 13, 2008 02:25 AM
Jim Mason
Little Logan De Luca stood at attention, knee high in the late autumn leaves Tuesday morning.
The five-year-old’s Spiderman tuque, scarf of many colours and red Ferrari jacket contrasted sharply against his green corduroys and fallen foliage.
When he wasn’t clutching the chain-link fence, Logan was saluting.
He was politely mimicking the war veterans, legion members, politicians and others laying wreathes at the cenotaph outside the Royal Canadian Legion.
A few hundred of Logan’s Stouffville neighbours saluted, too. Saluted friends, neighbours and family who gave their lives in wars and conflicts past and present around the world.
Saluted the shrinking roster of veterans still alive in our community.
Logan saluted his great-grandfather who served in the Second World War.
“We’ve been talking about him this week,” said Logan’s mom, Tammy De Luca.
Good for the De Lucas.
Logan was scheduled to be back in his senior kindergarten class at St. Mark Catholic School yesterday, hopefully sharing stories of seeing so many people in crisp and colourful uniforms.
Mounties, veterans, police officers, firefighters, a piper, service club executives and the many legion members.
He heard prayers for the fallen and for the future of the country.
And heard the bagpipes and a trumpet.
He also heard two minutes of silence, interrupted only by a Toyota that somehow made it through the police roadblock on Ninth Line.
Logan saw flags raised and lowered.
Saw tears fall from sombre faces reddened by hard winds and rain.
Taking an hour out of a Tuesday is the least we can do.
To salute the people who did so much for people like little Logan and the rest of us.
Jim Mason is editor of The Sun-Tribune.