A regular newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.
And we thank the team at the Canadian Studies Program at UC Berkeley for all of their support and promotion of our National Legion Week activities.
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This story is a part of Branch 25’s on-going National Legion Week campaign.
The mission of the Royal Canadian Legion is “to serve veterans and their dependents, to promote Remembrance, and to act in the service of Canada and its communities.” In essence, Branch 25 is comprised of Canadian, Commonwealth, and American veterans and their family members, as well as members of the general public who support the goals and traditions of the Legion.
The branch meets on the first Thursday each month – excluding January, July, and August. Traditionally, this has been a lunchtime meeting (which has also been streamed via Zoom since the pandemic to allow those unable to travel or outside of the Bay Area to attend). Recently, the branch has also conducted some of its business meetings at 7pm (Pacific) with a Zoom only option.
The branch also maintains portions of two cemeteries, where we hold yearly services. The first is the Commonwealth section of Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. This section of the cemetery includes the graves of approximately 100 servicemen and women from Canada and throughout the Commonwealth. Additionally, the branch honors members who have passed but are not buried here with a name plaques on the cenotaph. With the participation of branch members and our cadet, we hold an annual Memorial Day service in this section of the cemetery. The public is always invited and we are happy to greet members of the community who have attended.
The second is the Royal Canadian Legion section of Liberty Cemetery in Petaluma, California, which is the final resting place for over 60 servicemen and women – as well as their spouses – from Canada and other Commonwealth nations. Similar to the service in Colma, the branch and our cadets hold an annual Remembrance Day service at Liberty Cemetery – and the public is always invited.
Finally, the branch is a sponsor of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) Arkansas Division.
Margaret Krieger (Treasurer) & Siefken Krieger (Membership Chair)
Branch 25 (San Francisco)
This story is a part of Branch 25’s on-going National Legion Week campaign.
Siefken Krieger
Ordinary (Veteran) Member since 1998
While Siefken is a veteran of the United States Air Force, he was stationed on two occasions in Air Traffic Control Radar Maintenance at Canadian Forces Base: Goose Bay in Labrador (among other postings). His service made him eligible for membership in the American Legion. However, Siefken chose to join the Royal Canadian Legion. At the time, he felt that the San Francisco branch of Royal Canadian Legion had a wider range of social gatherings and other activities that were more enjoyable to attend.
As a member of Branch 25, Siefken have served in a number of executive positions – including as Membership Chair for the past 15 years or so. Siefken joined to support veterans and for the camaraderie that he saw in the Legion.
Membership in USA Branches is only open to Canadian citizens and Commonwealth subjects, as well as United States citizens who are of federal voting age and whose service was terminated under conditions other than dishonourable or for reasons of misconduct and who served or is serving in:
This story is a part of Branch 25’s on-going National Legion Week campaign.
James (“Jim”) Baldwin
Ordinary (Veteran) Member since 2013
While Jim was born in New York City, he didn’t grow up there. His father accepted an overseas assignment in Panama and thus began his family’s travel adventures in Trinidad, the Philippines, Canada, Colombia, and Mexico City. Jim also had the honour to serve his country as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy working with student Naval Aviators and other flight personnel, and as a reservist. During the Persian Gulf War, he was called to active duty and served aboard the USNS Mercy, T-AH 19, a hospital ship that included a Canadian Armed Forces contingent.
Jim’s mother was from a small town in Ontario called Mono Township, and after legislation passed in April 2009 allowing the child of a parent and/or parents born in Canada to become a Canadian citizen he officially became a Canadian in 2010. Jim joined the Legion after becoming a Canadian citizen as a way to continue to serve alongside his Canadian comrades.
Membership in USA Branches is only open to Canadian citizens and Commonwealth subjects, as well as United States citizens, who are of federal voting age and whose service was terminated under conditions other than dishonourable or for reasons of misconduct and who served or is serving in:
This story is a part of Branch 25’s on-going National Legion Week campaign.
Branch 25 (San Francisco) of the Royal Canadian Legion holds three formal Remembrance services each year.
As a US-based branch, the first service that is held each year is an annual Memorial Day service at the Royal Canadian Legion plot in Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, CA. The service is usually held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, depending on the availability of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) Arkansas Division (who support all of our services). Generally speaking, the Legion hosts our USNSCC Arkansas Division cadets, along with friends and family, for a small reception immediately following. More information can be found here.
The second service that is held each year began out of necessity during the pandemic, when the branch hosted a Commemoration Day Virtual Service on 01 July 2020. You see the first of July 1916 was the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, when 806 members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment climbed out of their trenches and went “over the top” at 8:45am as part of the battle of Beaumont-Hamel. In less than an hour, the regiment was devastated, most killed or wounded within the first 20 minutes of the battle. The next morning, only 68 soldiers answered the roll call. Each year since 2020 Branch 25 has continued to plan and stream online their annual Commemoration Day Virtual Service on the morning of 01 July. As a virtual event, this service provides an opportunity for our members who are not in the Bay Area or have difficulty traveling to our other event an opportunity to get involved in the branch from the comfort of their own home. More information can be found here.
The third service that Branch 25 holds each year is an annual Remembrance Day Service at Liberty Cemetery in Petaluma, CA. To accommodate our USNSCC Arkansas Division cadets and the reality that most school systems do not close on Veterans Day, the service is held around 11am on the Saturday before 11 November (unless 11 November falls on a Saturday). Following the service there is generally a no host lunch that all are invited to attend. More information can be found here.
Finally, Branch 25 of the Royal Canadian Legion also regularly participates other remembrance activities related to Commonwealth veteran organizations or services. For example, the branch has been involved for many years in the annual ANZAC Day commemoration ceremonies organized by the Australian American Chamber of Commerce and the New Zealand American Association of San Francisco. While April 25th 1915 is traditionally seen in Australia and New Zealand as the defining event that shaped both nations futures, we also reflect on the other nations involved in the failed Gallipoli campaign. There were 115,000 British and Dominion troops and 27,000 French killed in action or wounded in this futile attempt to gain access to the Dardanelles. The connection with Canada is a strong one as the Newfoundland regiment fought alongside their ANZAC comrades from Sept of 1915 until the withdrawal of Allied troops in January 1916. While not yet part of Canada at the time, the Newfoundlanders were amongst the first to volunteer for Britain in the First World War. We lay a wreath on behalf of the Legion and our President gives a short speech acknowledging the connection with Canada and our remembrance of all who served.
Trevor Page, Sergeant-at-Arms
Branch 25 (San Francisco)
Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 