The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs:

Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize the Labrador veterans who served with the Newfoundland Regiment in World War I.

More than 100 years ago, these brave men left their traplines and fishing boats to fight in battles half a world away. Some of them were too young to enlist, but they were driven by a duty to serve.

Historians have studied military records to piece together the stories of their courageous service. We know quite a bit about who they were.

They were Blakes, Barneys, Curls, Flowers, Fords, Greens, Pottles, Shiwaks and Browns. They came from places like Battle Harbour, Henley Harbour, L’Anse au Loup, Sandwich Bay, Nain, Spotted Islands, Hopedale, North West River, Grand Village, Red Bay and Rigolet.

Tragically, not all of these brave men returned home. Like others, they paid the ultimate sacrifice. Sadly, the men who returned to Labrador would never be the same.

As we prepare to observe Remembrance Day next Friday, and mark Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8, it is fitting that we remember the Labradorians who volunteered in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and more recently, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. They fought to preserve the freedoms and the liberties we take for granted today.

Please join with me in saluting the men and women from the Big Land who served in the armed forces and peacekeeping missions. We also praise the Labradorians who have answered the call of duty and today proudly wear the uniform of their country.