To Students, Staff and Alumni:

On Remembrance Day, we reflect on the sacrifice of men and women who have given their lives to protect the rights and freedoms that we can too easily take for granted.

The Avenue of the Elms on the Fort Garry Campus is a constant physical reminder that our students, faculty, staff and alumni at the University of Manitoba have been and continue to be touched by the tragedy of war. While that row of trees planted by the Manitoba Agricultural College is a memorial for its students who died in the First World War, there is nothing historic or distant about the danger that people face when they serve abroad.

Cpl. Jordan Anderson, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2007, died before he could receive the Bachelor of Arts Degree he earned through the University’s Military Support Office. Cpl. Anderson’s wife accepted his degree on his behalf. It was the first time a degree was granted posthumously. 

While we cannot enter into the personal grief felt by his wife and the rest of his family, we do share their sadness and pride. Cpl. Anderson served his country in a life that was far too short. We are fortunate to include him among our graduates.

Soldiers who serve or have served our country are fathers, husbands and sons, mothers, wives and daughters, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts. They are nieces, nephews and friends.

It is important to remember those people, those families and their painful losses so that we never lose sight of the true cost of war. We can remember by pausing for at least a moment at the 11^th hour on the 11^th day to reflect on our good fortune or by attending a Remembrance Day ceremony.

Sincerely,

David