Benjamin Segobaetso
Published online November 4, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
They are our neighbours, friends, parents and grandparents. Some served on the battlefields of Europe, others in Korea, Afghanistan and peacekeeping missions around the world. Many returned home to Pontiac, quietly exchanging their military uniforms for
civilian life. Others never made it home.
As Remembrance Day approaches on November 11, communities across Pontiac will gather to honour the local men and women who answered Canada’s call to serve, often at tremendous personal sacrifice. For Pontiac, Remembrance Day isn’t simply about distant wars or names recorded in history books. It’s about remembering our own; young men who left family farms and small communities to fight overseas, women who served in military and support roles, and generations of veterans who returned to build families, businesses and communities throughout the region. Remembrance Day also recognizes military families who endured long separations, uncertainty and, sometimes, heartbreaking loss.
Their stories are woven into Pontiac’s history. Behind the names engraved on local
cenotaphs are families forever changed by war. Some lost sons, daughters, husbands and fathers. Others welcomed loved ones’ home who carried experiences they rarely
discussed.
Today, Pontiac’s veterans represent different generations of military service, from the Cold War and international peacekeeping missions to Afghanistan and modern military operations. For some, the physical and psychological consequences of service remain part of everyday life. Yet many continue contributing to their communities through volunteerism, public service and quiet acts of kindness. These are not strangers in distant military photographs. They are people we encounter in grocery stores, community halls and along Pontiac’s rural roads.
Local Royal Canadian Legion members and volunteers help preserve these memories through commemorations, community activities and education. But remembrance must extend beyond an annual ceremony. It means listening to veterans, preserving family military histories and teaching younger generations about the sacrifices made by people from their own communities. The names engraved on Pontiac’s memorials represent lives once lived along the same roads and among the same families that continue to call this region home.
This November 11, as the Last Post echoes across Pontiac and wreaths are laid, residents will honour not only Canada’s military history but their own neighbours and ancestors.
Behind every uniform was a person, behind every sacrifice was a family, and behind every veteran is a story worth telling. To Pontiac’s veterans, past and present: your service remains part of our history, and your sacrifices will not be forgotten.
Lest we forget.