It was Remembrance Day 1999, and singer-songwriter Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Nova Scotia, Canada.
An announcement came over the store’s PA system, asking customers to give two minutes of silence at 11:00 AM — at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — the annual token of respect for the nation’s veterans.
Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home
They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own
There’s a price to be paid if you go, if you stay
Freedom is fought for and won in numerous ways
On the stroke of 11:00, all the store fell silent.
All, that is, except for one man, who was accompanied by his little daughter. Oblivious of the example he was setting for the child, the man continued to try to talk to the sales clerk all through the respectful silence.
Take two minutes, would you mind?
It’s a pittance of time…
Terry Kelly did what artists have always done, in the grip of the strongest emotions — he channelled his anger into his music.
Lest we forget what Remembrance Day is all about, here’s the song:
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Please forgive the tears on this comment.
Thank you, for introducing us to Terry Kelly.
We will be remembering here too. http://mydayoff.com.au/?p=123
Thank you, I was hoping I wasn’t the only blogger to remember this day. Although, have you noticed how our media outlets have begun reducing that two minutes of silence? Thank you also for that Terry Kelly clip.
Thanks Jen. Indeed, it is indeed Veterans Day in the U.S. on November 11th. It’s easy for me to remember as a retired U.S. Marine because the Marine Corps birthday is on November 10th. Two holidays back to back are nearly impossible to forget.
Excellent, DG – I’m working your piece into my post on the issue for today.
Hey Jen, I Dugg this post. Here is the digg story, in case anyone wants to digg it: http://digg.com/videos/music/Two_Minutes_to_Remember