Valour Canada program teaches Calgary students Canadian military history

Over 1,000 Calgary students are receiving an immersive experience in Canadian military history this month, thanks to a program designed by Valour Canada and The Field of Crosses.

John Adams is the president of Valour Canada and is excited about the new partnership and the opportunity to teach students about Vimy Ridge along with seeing military artifacts in a tent set up near the Field of Crosses.

"The kids coming down to the tent are able to actually touch and feel (the artifacts)," he said. "Put on helmets, put on berets, put a gas mask on, put a rucksack on, and get a sense of how heavy they are, how it feels."

Adams says some some artifacts come from the First World War while others are used by soldiers today.

"They're all authentic artifacts that had been donated by the Military Museums, the Naval Museum of southern Alberta," he said. "Individual veterans have come down this past week and donated stuff to us so that the kids are able to touch and feel it and get a real sense of what our service men and women have when they're out in the field."

The Field of Crosses on Memorial Drive in Calgary pays tribute to southern Albertans who died in the war

The new program has been averaging about 90 youth in the morning, afternoons and close to 60 in the evenings. Adams says over the seven school days leading up to Remembrance Day, volunteers will see more than 1,000 grade school kids at the site. He's surprised by the popularity of the program that's fully booked this year and has a waiting list for 2024.

"The kids, as they run through the program, we're hoping they're better educated," said Adams. "They have more critical thinking about what's going on around them and that they'll be better Canadian citizens at the end of the day."

TOUCH AND FEEL CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY

The program lasts about two hours and has three components. Students are in a classroom where they learn about Vimy Ridge. Then they head into the artifact tent to touch and feel Canadian military history. The last stop is at the Field of Crosses, where Bart Peake takes them on a guided tour.

"I introduce them to many of the servicemen and women and military personnel who sacrificed for the freedom and democracy of Canada in all the wars that we've been involved in," he said.

Peake is on the operations team at the Field of Crosses and has researched many stories of the fallen represented on the crosses for the last six years. He enjoys talking to students about the soldiers here because it has a lasting impact on them. New this year, he's giving them something to take home.

"Field of Crosses has created commemorative cards with stories on the service men and women in the field," he said. "They have a picture on them to bring that personal touch and a brief story about them on the back."

Jillian Stephenson is the grade six teacher at Monsignor Neville Anderson School and says this is a great opportunity for the students to learn outside the classroom.

"With curriculum, this gives them a wonderful opportunity to explore the history of Canada," she said. "It's different than the classroom, they can touch it, they can see it, they can explore it, same with the Field of Crosses and being able to walk through them, actually see the names written on them, it gives them something tangible and it's not just me telling them about something."

Greatness Ossai is 10 years old and says what he's learning today is having an impact him.

"Yeah, because it's like all those soldiers died for the country and for a lot of people," he said.

Eleven-year-old Brandon Wong will celebrate Remembrance Day at the Field of Crosses amidst more than 3,600 crosses.

"Well, when I see those names, I'm just like oh, all these people die for the country," he said.

Esther Obawole is in the grade six class and said she was touched by what she learned at the site.

"It means how to reflect and remember what happened to fallen soldiers all across the world," she said.

Mmeso Onyejekwe wishes her dad was here with her to learn about the Canadian military and the men and women who fought for their country, paying the ultimate price.

"Because he's like, he's one of the people who I converse with, with a lot of history," said the 11-year-old. "I believe it's very important to honour the lives of the soldiers who passed and those who survived these wars and troublesome times, they need to be honoured and preserved for generations to come so they can forever be remembered."

Field of Crosses is made up of 3,500 crosses erected in a park along Memorial Drive that pay respect to the thousands of southern Albertans who died in war.

In a separate part of the park, there are an additional 120 unique crosses that honour the 120,000 Canadians who lost their lives fighting for Canada.

The Field of Crosses is illuminated 24 hours a day and Canadian veterans, along with hundreds of volunteers, assist in cleaning the crosses, installing the bases, and erecting, taking down and storing them.

Learn more about it here: www.fieldofcrosses.com