Now, 90 years after the end of the First World War, only one Canadian veteran who witnessed its horrors remains. The following generation, which fought in the Second World War, is now also starting to surrender to the march of time.

But despite their age, despite a biting November wind, despite long having earned the right to forget, they were there on Tuesday.

To remember.

And to fulfill the sombre duty of helping those who follow to remember.

As we grow ever further from the global horrors that claimed millions of lives, it would be all too easy to forget the price that was paid in our name – even as we enjoy the freedoms those sacrifices earned. It’s hard to imagine many of the fresh faces from the local high school donning pith helmets and picking up arms – and that’s as it should be.

To forget would not only risk inviting history to repeat itself, it would diminish the value of the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of all. It would mean that we have learned nothing, and have nothing to teach those fresh young faces.

As the years take us farther from the Great Wars, the next generation – the one that was never called on to fight at all – will be charged with keeping the memory.

And while it sounds like an awesome responsibility, it’s a feasible one. All we have to do is remember.