Today’s Greatitude

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a tomb situated before the National War Memorial in Confederation Square, in Ottawa.

The tomb is dedicated to Canadian service members, and holds the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who died in France during the First World War; selected from a Commonwealth War Grave near Vimy France, in the vicinity where the Battle of Vimy Ridge took place.

The tomb is intended to honour the approximately 116,000 Canadians who died in combat, as well as all members of the Canadian Armed Forces—in all branches—who died or may die in all conflicts, past, present, and future.

As one who attended the ceremony in 2000 in Ottawa, it was a moving and poignant reminder of the contribution of our emerging nation from then until now.