Row upon row, the pews of St. Augustine Church filled as the 11th hour approached on Remembrance Day 2011.On 11/11/11, members of the community gathered to honour the memory of those who served or are serving our country so that Canadians may live in freedom.This year stood out though, as Padre Reverend Al Hingley pointed out, because it is the only year in our era when the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month would fall in a year ending in 11, as well.The veterans entered the church behind the traditional "marching in of the colours" piped in by Stewart Williams. After the national anthem, bugler Thelma Pearce played "The Last Post," which officially marked the 11th hour and the beginning of the service.Every year, Rev. Hingley presides over the service and organizes the Remembrance Day events in Humboldt that commence at St. Augustine Church and finish with a banquet at the Royal Canadian Legion hall.Hingley takes care to include clergy from the other denominations in the city for the prayers, lessons, and reading of the gospel during the service. And he always invites a guest speaker. This year he asked Marc Parlato, formerly a sergeant in the British army, now a resident of Humboldt, to tell the congregation about his life in the services.Parlato explained how he came to be in the British army, and he also explained why he was dressed in the regalia for the First Battalion Irish Guards. He told of the day when, as a young lad in Ireland, he found out by surprise what an amazing career his grandfather had had with the Irish Fusilliers, later known as the Irish Guards."The day that my Nonno told me everything (about his life in the services) cemented my resolve to join the army," Parlato said in his address, "which I did the day I was old enough to do so."Parlato's own career with the army spanned 17 years, and if it hadn't been for an injury during a Desert Storm operation, Parlato says he would still be there. He credits his experiences - from a brief stint in the Falklands War to a posting in Munster, Germany to guard the Fulda gap against the Russian threat, to training and public duties in England - for the many memories and friends he made during his time served.The positive way Parlato spoke about his time in the service provided the congregation with a glimpse of what men and women who enlist to serve their country experience: solidarity, camaraderie, and most of all, a sense of doing one's duty."The friends you make in the forces are friends for life," said Parlato, "and you would do anything for your brothers-in-arms. My time in the service made me the man I am today." Perhaps his most personal admonition was his reaction when he was told that he was no longer fit for active duty because of his injury. Parlato said it was one of the saddest days of his life, and when they offered him an administrative position, he respectfully refused and left the army six months later.He closed by saying that the most satisfying moment of his military life was having his decorations framed beside his grandfather's, and hung on display in the Royal British Legion club that he helped to build back home in Ireland.Other notable parts of the Remembrance Day service included a prelude and postlude by the Humboldt Musicians, led by Sharon Bates, and hymns sung by a choir assembled for the service, led by Maxine Moore. Before the laying of wreaths, Moore sang a solo, "Forever Young," written by an Australian composer with Saskatchewan roots. After the laying of wreaths, the young Matthew Sokolan sang a solo, "Borrowed Angels." Denise Germain accompanied both Moore and Sokolan on the piano.
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