For decades Canadians have been answering the call for help from countries all over the world wracked by war and on Sunday, Calgarians participated in a service to remember their work.
The 17th annual Peacekeepers Day, held at Peacekeepers Park in Garrison Green, is a special ceremony where the names of fallen peacekeepers are read aloud and added to the Walls of Honour in the park.
The event is especially important for families of the fallen.
"To honour them is an honour for me to come and pay my respect," said Diane Dallaire, whose son Kevin passed while on a peacekeeping mission in 2006. "It gives me a sense of peace (and) gratitude."
A number of elected officials, members of Canada's armed forces and representatives from veterans' associations and their families were also in attendance.
The event also featured a speech from the Honourable Lois Mitchell, Lt.-Gov. of Alberta.
"Thank you to each also of the heroes in uniform for your valued contribution on behalf of our country."
The operations undertaken by Canada's peacekeepers include peace-restoring, peace-enforcement, peace-making, peacekeeping, observer missions, humanitarian operations, reconstruction and, occasionally, the supervision of elections.
"People think that peacekeeping is an operation that nobody gets hurt which is furthest from the truth," said Rick Wright, president of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping.
Calgary event has grown over the last 17 years, according to Wright.
"There were very few apart from the people in the blue jackets, now we're up to somewhere between 300 to 400 people depending on the weather."
Canada officially recognized National Peacekeepers Day in 2008.
It's held on the Sunday closest to August 9th and that date has a special meaning.
On that date in 1974, nine Canadians on board a United Nations plane were shot down and killed in the Middle East. It was the greatest loss of Canadian lives during a peace operation.
