For Mike Kalaska, the 11th of November doesn't just mean remembering the sacrifices made in war.
It's also about celebrating Poland's National Independence Day, a public holiday recognized every Nov. 11 to celebrate Poland regaining independent statehood after 123 years of occupation by Russia, Germany and Austria.
"For us, it was the beginning of a new country, freedom," said Kalaska, who took the salute Monday morning at the Remembrance Day ceremony at Fort William Gardens.
"This is much more important than just the end of the First World War," he said.
Kalaska served during the Second World War by joining the Polish unit and was stationed in Syria in May 1940.
In 1941, his unit joined the British army in Palestine and from there spent time in Libya and eventually ended up in Italy from December 1943 until the end of the war in 1945.
He arrived in Canada in November 1946 with more than 4,000 other Polish soldiers who were admitted to the country.
While he took the salute during Monday's ceremony, Kalaska said it wasn't about him. He was representing all those that had the call to serve.
"That salute is actually to everybody, not just one person," he said.
Story continues after video ...
For Silver Cross representative Marian Leat, Remembrance Day is about thanking veterans, even though it's something she tries to do everyday.
Leat, who moved to Canada in 1966, lived in England during the Second World War and saw her brothers and cousins go off to war.
"I was a girl at that time, too young to enlist for anything," she said, adding she was honoured to be the Silver Cross representative this year.
"I just think about all the people that died for us and hope that the young people today do appreciate what these people did," Leat said.
"I know if the Nazis had gotten to England, I wouldn't be here today."
Story continues after video ...
Leat had just one brother return home from battle and she lost four cousins. One was lost at sea and her father-in-law was lost in Italy.
While the number of veterans attending the service at the Gardens has dwindled over the years, the crowd in the stands has held steady.
Parade commander Roy L'Esperance said it's beautiful to see so many people show their support by attending Remembrance Day ceremonies.
L'Esperance was in the naval reserves from 1965 to 1967 and has been taking part in the ceremonies on Nov. 11 since the early 1990s.
He said he wishes that Remembrance Day wasn't limited to just one day a year.
"My father was in the navy in 1941-42. He never talked about the war, but he saw it. I hope it never happens again so my grandkids don't have to go," he said.
