RANKIN INLET - A large crowd representing almost every part of the community came out to honour the sacrifices made by our military personnel, RCMP members, Canadian Rangers and firefighting forces during Remembrance Day ceremonies in Rankin Inlet this past week.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 169 Rankin Inlet president Kyle Sheppard, right, and Legion member Gabe Karlik were at the front of the Remembrance Day ceremony in Rankin this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The annual ceremony is the biggest day of the year for Royal Canadian Legion Branch 169 Rankin Inlet.

Branch president Kyle Sheppard said he was pleased with the turnout for this year's ceremony.

He said the crowd seems to be getting a little bigger every year.

"More Legion involvement in the community may be playing a role in that, as well as people becoming more aware of current combat situations Canadian personnel are involved in," said Sheppard.

"News coverage of Canadian soldiers still sacrificing overseas has been growing for about 20 years, and that's put their sacrifices more in the public's eye than what it may have been for years prior to that.

"It took a long time for the focus of Remembrance Day to, kind of, move a bit away from being strictly on the First World War and the Second World War.

"There's more attention being paid to the conflicts of the modern era now, which are still going on overseas, as well as an appreciation for the duties being performed by people like our policing and firefighting forces, as well as the Rangers in the North."

Sheppard said Branch 169 plans to have more involvement with Rankin schools during the coming year, including bringing back the annual Remembrance Day poster contest.

He said Branch 169 did supply a roll of poppy stickers to Leo Ussak Elementary School this past week, so the young students wouldn't hurt themselves with pins during their annual ceremony at the school.

"Some people honour our military every week now through various campaigns, such as wearing red on Fridays in honour of the troops, so we're seeing a definite improvement in public display than we did in years past," said Sheppard.

"But I don't know if enough can ever be done to honour the sacrifices so many have made for our country and the way of life we enjoy here.

"There's a real sense of patriotism in Rankin and that's so important because, no matter where you live in this country, we're all Canadians.

"It's nice to see so many people who may have been more removed from conflict, or who had fewer relatives who actually served, still having such a strong connection to that."

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