The Stó:lō Veterans' Remembrance Day event on Nov. 11 starts out with a ceremony in the Coqualeetza Longhouse.
The event at the Stó:lō Nation site off Vedder Road honouring First Nations vets complements the two other Remembrance Day services held at the cenotaphs in downtown Chilliwack and in Sardis.
"Our guest speaker for the day will be Xwéliqweltel, Grand Chief Steven Point," said event organizers with Stó:lō Nation.
The Stó:lō Remembrance Day event, Stó:lō Xa:yxeleq Há:kw’eles Swáyel, has the theme 'We Remember Our Past Warriors.'
Doors to the longhouse open at 9 a.m. on Nov. 11 with a ceremony at 10 a.m., which is open to all.
A processional to the Stó:lō memorial will go ahead at 10:50 a.m. just before the 11 a.m. roll call. A moment of silence will be observed at 11:11 a.m. and they will start the laying of wreaths.
A Remembrance Day event has been held on the Coqualeetza grounds since 1996, a few years after the war memorial was erected in 1993 to recognize Stó:lō wartime contributions, and to help the veterans receive benefits.
On Nov. 11 they will gather in the longhouse first, and then walk over to the memorial post, carved in 1993 by Stó:lō artist Stan Greene.
Stó:lō officials have identified more than 100 veterans from across the Fraser Valley and the U.S. who had served in the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars as well as Korean War and peacekeeping duties with United Nations.
The names of veterans are printed on the war memorial with the words: "their services and sacrifices not forgotten."
A lunch will follow the ceremonies. Wreaths and cedar boughs are laid at the memorial to remember the soldiers' sacrifices.
"It is likely the ceremony will go until 1:30ish because we will have witnesses respond to the work after lunch," added organizers.
