Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today in advance of Veterans’ Week and Remembrance Day to pay tribute to those men and women who donned the uniform of this great nation, and at Her command went forth to defend those who could no longer defend themselves and to fight for the very freedoms that we enjoy today.

Recently, I was struck by a very powerful image: That of the lone regimental banner of The Royal Canadian Regiment, or RCR, standing, torn and dusty on Hill 355, on the morning of October 23, 1952. B Company of the RCR had just spent the night being pummelled by Chinese artillery and probed by assault troops. So chaotic was the engagement that the Canadians were forced to regroup into small units, cut off from their comrades.

That regimental banner, like the heroes of Hill 355, was battered and torn but not broken. It stood as a reminder of the commitment and resolve of our men and women in uniform who stood tall in the face of adversity, said “Not today” and, through grit and determination, won through.

The image of that banner is a haunting symbol of not only the sacrifices and tribulations our veterans faced in such places as the ridge at Vimy, the ruins of Passchendaele, the beaches in Normandy, the valley and hills at Gapyeong or the grape fields of Kandahar — but also a symbol of the people they came to save and protect.

Like that fluttering and tarnished banner, the South Korean people, too, were worn out, sullied, alone and without hope when nations like Canada answered. Over 26,000 would volunteer to serve in the Korean War, and they, along with their UN allies, ensured that South Koreans, like my family, would have a future free of Communist oppression.

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We can never repay the debt we owe to our veterans. All we can do is dedicate our lives to living in their example, and honour their sacrifices through participating in and protecting those precious rights and freedoms won through their actions. Honourable senators, we will remember them.