Duty and sacrifice: Hundreds gather in Halifax to honour vets on Remembrance Day

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.

“As a serving Canadian Armed Forces member, carrying on the tradition and duty of sacrifice of our fellow Canadians that have come before us is something that I personally hold in my heart and other Canadian Armed Force members do as well,” Zenglein said.

“So 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.”

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 Canadian 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.

“Although I’m a member of the legion for 30 years now, I never realized the contribution of (Indigenous soldiers),” said Young, who started his prep for the ceremony a month in advance.

“I 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.”

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.

“Whichever country you go to, you always pass a cemetery. There are always Canadians there. We always liked to bring over Canada flags with us, put a flag on (the grave) to recognize them, say we’re here for you.”

DellaValle was deployed to places like Kuwait and Eritrea. Now, he’s the president of the Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command legion, and helped to organize the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at Halifax’s 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’s medals from the Second World War. Kahansky’s 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.

“My grandfather was very obviously impacted by his time in the war,” Kahansky said. “Remembrance Day is just an opportunity for me to kind of stay connected in a way that has always felt meaningful throughout my life.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2025.

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press