The Comox Valley Glacier Kings attended the Remembrance Day ceremony in Courtenay today. All members of the team showed up to commemorate current veterans, past veterans and fallen soldiers who died in the line of duty. It took place at the Jubilee Square Cenotaph in Courtenay. It was a beautiful winter day for the ceremony. The Legion invited the Glacier Kings organization up for lunch and drinks and from all accounts, the boys enjoyed it.

While my wife and I were out around town later, I ran into Glacier Kings owners Marsha & Dave Webb (for a second day in a row). They seemed very proud of the boys and even gave them some insight on what Remembrance Day is about. I didn’t see them at the ceremony because my family went to the Comox ceremony at the Comox Cenotaph. This memorial is dedicated to the men of the 102 Battalion North British Columbians who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It was erected by the Town of Comox and the Royal Canadian Legion in front of the Post Office on Comox Avenue in approximately 1920. It was very moving and had a huge turnout.

After the ceremony, my wife Shannon, my mom and myself went to the Legion to support them as it is really struggling (only open on weekends now). It’s the people and the stories and the history I really enjoy at the Legion. While there, we spoke with a woman named Debra. She talked about her brother Kenny Belafonte who had just passed away in May. Kenny spent well over 20 years in the military as a MSE Op (Mobile Support Equipment Operator) on bases such as Comox and Borden, ON. She was so proud of him right to the end and was more than happy to share his story with perfect strangers. He was a hero right until the end, even though he was retired from the military for many years. He went into the hospital in Victoria telling his family he had a small issue but would be out in a few days. Kenny, who suffered from PTSD, ended up being there for a month with a large tumor on his lung but didn’t alert his family of the life threatening condition as he didn’t want them to worry. Because he knew his fate, he asked the doctor to release him so he could spend time with his friends and family. Everyday, he asked his sister Debra to text him good morning but wouldn’t say why. Every morning, she did and he would reply with a thumbs up. Then came one day in May when Debra gave him her daily text but this time there would not be no thumbs up. Kenny had passed. He knew from the beginning he didn’t have much longer but he didn’t want his family to stress for the time he had left to live. He wanted to keep his future a secret to save his family pain and worry. The Legion was closed at the time of his death because of other issues but his sister had convinced them to reopen it which was very fitting as he had dedicated so much of his time there. Debra told us that she had one brother but after his passing, she suddenly had twelve. Kenny’s military friends have welcomed her in as part of their family and she feels blessed.

These are the stories you can hear when you go to the Legion. Please support your local branch as many are dying because of money issues.

To everyone, past or present, that has ever donned a uniform to stand up for our country, I would like to say thank you. To the people I served beside in the Navy, please know that it was an honor for me to do so with you. Let’s never forget about the people that sacrificed their lives for this wonderful country.

Darryl Skender