NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
On Nov. 11, Canadian Rangers will proudly participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies across the North.

Canadian Ranger Emmanuel Adam of Tuktoyaktuk relaxes on Oct. 26 after participating in an individual shooting match at the NWT annual small arms training in Hay River. - Photo courtesy of Capt. Steve Watton

And just like in previous years, the Rangers will both honour military veterans and those who fell fighting for Canada, and be themselves honoured for their service to the country.

Remembrance Day is special for Canadian Rangers, said Sgt. Emmanuel Adam of the Canadian Ranger Patrol in Tuktoyaktuk.

"The Rangers honour those who dedicated their lives to the full-time military," he said. "We recognize that very much."

Adam believes Remembrance Day ceremonies also help people recognize that Canadian Rangers are part of the military, which has not always been clearly understood by some in the past.

"It's just that we're so far away from any kind of army base or military base. It's just that kind of concept - being separate. It's that big separation between the real army and the Canadian Rangers," he said.

However, Canadian Rangers are part of the military's reserve forces.

"They still serve in the big sense in their own backyard," said the 60-year-old Adam, who has been a Ranger for about 15 years.

The First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group has over 1,850 Rangers in 60 patrols across the North, which encompasses approximately four million square kilometres, or 40 per cent of Canada's land mass, as well as 75 per cent of its coastal regions.

There are about 700 Canadian Rangers in the NWT.

"Remembrance Day is the opportunity for all Canadian Rangers and all Canadian Armed Forces personnel working in the North to honour those who served in all wars," said Capt. Steve Watton, the public affairs representative with the First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. "It's a time to reflect upon the past, and express our universal feeling of gratefulness to all those veterans that have served their country."

Plus, it's a time to consider the role of Canadian Rangers.

"Certainly, it's a great opportunity for the general public across the North to look at what the Canadian Rangers have contributed to the Canadian Armed Forces for the past 66-plus years," said Watton. "They do this for the love of their country."

Watton is aware of two Canadian Rangers in Nunavut who died while on duty.

One was killed in a snowmobile accident last year, while another died of natural causes while on a patrol in 2007.

Watton said Canadian Rangers are proud to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

"They'll be taking part in numerous ceremonies and activities across the North, and they'll be wearing their uniforms proudly and reflecting the proud history and military legacy of the Canadian Armed Forces," he said.

The First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group traces its origin to the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers, who were organized in 1942 to help watch for signs of activity by Japanese forces in the Second World War.

With the start of the Cold War, the North became an area of concern.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, rifles were issued to reliable individuals in communities in the High Arctic along with instructions to report any unusual activity in their areas. By the late 1950s, Canadian Ranger platoons and companies had been established throughout the North.

Since then, Canadian Rangers have provided a visible military presence in isolated, coastal and northern communities, and continue to serve as the military's eyes and ears in the North.

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