Remembrance Day is every day for Thunder Bay professor
Lakehead University professor took a group of students to European battlefields to understand war
Remembrance Day has extra resonance for Lakehead University associate professor Harvey Lemelin this year.
In the spring, the Thunder Bay teacher in the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism took a class to Europe to visit World War I and II battlefields.
Lemelin said the goal of the trip was to learn more about the way these monuments and museums are operated.
But he said he believes that commemorating the fallen and paying our respects is also an important component of learning.
Lemelin said the students returned home with a far deeper understanding of the realities of war and sacrifice.
"I think what the students noted was that whether we were at a French cemetery, a German cemetery, an American cemetery or a Commonwealth cemetery is how young the men were. And there was a lot of emotion demonstrated by the students towards that, a lot of empathy."
Lemelin said the goal of the Battlefield Tourism course was to understand why people visit war sites like these, and how the interpretive facilities help educate the public.
He said it's a particularly significant research area this year, because tourist volumes have increased in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.
"The students surprised me with their level of understanding, their respect and their care in that it's important to remember history, and it's important to see the threads of history in present day events."
Lemelin said he's always thinking of the battlefields of Europe, whether its on November 11th, or some other day of the year.
He said visiting monuments, like the one at Vimy Ridge, has affected him deeply.
"It's always a profound spiritual experience, and it's probably as close to a religious experience as I get. But I get the same feelings from Juno too, going on those beaches. So those are too very profound sites."