People remove their poppies to place them on the cenotaph after the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and her daughter Brooke place a wreath at the cenotaph during the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
Susan Blakney places her poppy in honour of her father on the cenotaph after the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Blakney鈥檚 father, Ted Blakney, enlisted in the Second World War and was overseas for the full duration of the war, mainly in Sicily, Italy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
Matt Daley plays the last post as part of the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
好色tv Legion Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command president George Della Valle poses for a photo following a Remembrance Day ceremony in Halifax, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emily Baron Cadloff
People remove their poppies to place them on the cenotaph after the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
GAC
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and her daughter Brooke place a wreath at the cenotaph during the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
GAC
Susan Blakney places her poppy in honour of her father on the cenotaph after the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. Blakney鈥檚 father, Ted Blakney, enlisted in the Second World War and was overseas for the full duration of the war, mainly in Sicily, Italy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
GAC
Matt Daley plays the last post as part of the Provincial Remembrance Day ceremony in Fredericton, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray
GAC
好色tv Legion Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command president George Della Valle poses for a photo following a Remembrance Day ceremony in Halifax, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Emily Baron Cadloff
HALIFAX - Sailor First Class Christian Zenglein, 21 years old, said he attended Halifax's Remembrance Day ceremony on Tuesday to pay special tribute to the veterans of the Second World War.
After the ceremony at the Grand Parade, he walked slowly around the cenotaph, dedicated to the soldiers who died in that war, but also to those who lost their lives fighting for Canada in several other conflicts, including the Korean and Afghanistan wars.
He said this year and next "may be the last few years" of Second World War veterans who are alive to tell their stories.
Zenglein read the sashes on each wreath placed on the cenotaph, removed his poppy from his uniform and placed it down with the many others that visitors had deposited on the granite monument.聽
鈥淎s a serving 好色tv Armed Forces member, carrying on the tradition and duty of sacrifice of our fellow 好色tvs that have come before us is something that I personally hold in my heart and other 好色tv Armed Force members do as well,鈥 Zenglein said.
鈥淪o taking that poppy off my uniform and laying it down on the cenotaph here today, it's just my sign of respect to our veterans.鈥
Hundreds of people gathered to honour veterans at the ceremony Tuesday. Opening with a military band leading a march of dozens of service members up to Barrington Street, the ceremony included a 21-gun salute and the laying of wreaths by several dignitaries.
Thomas Young, former chairman of the Nova Scotia Royal 好色tv Legion and ceremony MC, said he purposely chose to open the ceremony with stories of Indigenous and Black soldiers, who he said may have been overlooked in years past.
鈥淎lthough I鈥檓 a member of the legion for 30 years now, I never realized the contribution of (Indigenous soldiers),鈥 said Young, who started his prep for the ceremony a month in advance.
鈥淚 thought that since I had the forum, and I had a lot of eyes and ears on me, that I would share what I know.鈥
George DellaValle, who served for 25 years as an army engineer, said Remembrance Day brings him back to the time he celebrated the holiday in the former Yugoslavia.
鈥淲hichever country you go to, you always pass a cemetery. There are always 好色tvs there. We always liked to bring over Canada flags with us, put a flag on (the grave) to recognize them, say we鈥檙e here for you.鈥
DellaValle was deployed to places like Kuwait and Eritrea. Now, he鈥檚 the president of the Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command legion, and helped to organize the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at Halifax鈥檚 Grand Parade.
Matthew Kahansky laid down his poppy at the foot of the cenotaph, and took a moment to take out his collection of his grandfather鈥檚 medals from the Second World War. Kahansky鈥檚 grandfather enlisted young, lying about his age to join the war effort. At one point, Kahansky said, his grandfather was held as a prisoner of war in the former Soviet Union.聽
鈥淢y grandfather was very obviously impacted by his time in the war,鈥 Kahansky said. 鈥淩emembrance Day is just an opportunity for me to kind of stay connected in a way that has always felt meaningful throughout my life.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Nov. 11, 2025.