Chatham-Kent residents are showing their respect for Canadian veterans this week.
The Keeping 150 project is underway, as civilians stand guard at the cenotaph in Chatham through to Remembrance Day.
Hilda Wiersma and her family took up the post Sunday afternoon for a cause she says hits very close to home.
“I was born in Holland, and I was about six years old when the Canadian soldiers came and dropped off food,” Wiersma says. “What I remember is an orange, an orange and white bread, it was like cake.”
Wiersma says standing in the rain for a few hours is nothing compared to the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers.
“When you see pictures of those soldiers in those dirty, muddy trenches, we don’t have to crawl through that, standing here is nothing,” she says. “You can see how thankful we are, you just can’t thank them enough.”
Civilians will continue to stand guard at the cenotaph in Chatham 24 hours a day until Remembrance Day services begin on Saturday morning.
