Up! 100 images of the Legion National Youth Track & Field Championships (Part 2)

An item from the Legion Magazine.


Front Lines
Front Lines

Riley Fontaine of Winnipeg Optimist Athletics clears the bar in early going during the U-18 women’s pole vault. [Stephen J. Thorne/LM]

Up! 100 images of the Legion National Youth Track & Field Championships (Part 2)

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

More than 1,000 athletes were up, down and everywhere in between at the 2025 Legion National Youth Track & Field Championships in Calgary Aug. 8-10, 2025.

Here is the second instalment of the Top 100 photographs of the competition.

READ MORE

Sacred Canadian sites of the world wars
The Briefing
The Briefing

Admiralty House served a plethora of military purposes over the years. Today, it’s home to the Naval Museum of Halifax. [Dan Conlin/Wikimedia]

An armchair tour of the Naval Museum of Halifax

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

The Naval Museum of Halifax is a story unto itself. It’s a tale that arguably begins in 1818, upon completion of the Georgian-style structure as part of the city’s renowned dockyard. Rather than a home for artifacts at the time, however, it was the official summer residence for the admiral of the Royal Navy’s North American Station. Not until after 1904, when the Brits ceded the area’s defence, did these grand stone walls become distinctly Canadian.

Admiralty House, as it’s still known today, served a plethora of purposes over the succeeding years, from accommodating Massachusetts relief workers following the 1917 Halifax Explosion—having itself been damaged in the blast—to an officers’ mess amid the Battle of the Atlantic. It has operated as a museum since 1974, nestled within the confines of Canadian Forces Base Halifax (HMCS Stadacona).

READ MORE

Member Benefit Partner

Medipac

News & Events for the Bay Area Canadian Community

A newsletter from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area.


Can’t see this message? View in browser
This email was sent from this site.

New Onboarding is Here!

An item from the Wreaths Across America organization.


WAA.MovingTheMission.Header.1521x542.2020

Hello,

We hope you’ve had a wonderful summer. National Wreaths Across America Day is fast approaching! With over 5,000 participating locations, there’s a lot of preparation to come.

We are ready to begin our new onboarding process! Returning and new Honor Fleet members alike must attend one of three, short webinars. In this webinar, you’ll learn more about the mission, your role, and logistics necessary for a successful season. Please select a webinar date and time below and register today!

Preliminary Load Confirmations (PLC) have been sent out. In order to keep the same load(s) from last year, you must email back to the signed PLC by September 8, or it will go on the open load list for other carriers to choose.

We’d like to remind you to whitelist us! Please add trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org to your list of approved/trusted senders in your email. You may have to work with your company’s IT team to do so. Once whitelisted, our emails won’t end up in spam, so you won’t miss out on important updates as the season ramps up.

Should you need anything, the WAA Transportation Team is always here – don’t hesitate to reach out! Thank you for your continued support, flexibility and passion for the mission.

With gratitude,
WAA Transportation Team

 

Webinars

Please attend one of three webinars as part of our new onboarding process. Whether you’re a returning partner or it’s your first season, we have new information to share with you. Please click the button below to choose your session.

Can’t make any of the sessions? Email Courtney George & Sarah Worcester directly at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org.

 

Your Impact

Because of you, the mission moves forward. Hauling what is referred to as “a truckload of respect,” members of the Honor Fleet transport millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to locations all across the country. On National Wreaths Across America Day, these wreaths are laid on veterans’ graves.

young girl wreath

When placing the wreath, volunteers say the name of the service member out loud, remembering and honoring their sacrifice. These wreaths could not reach their location to be placed without you!

 

Professional Driver Quick Facts

We’re looking forward to a successful season! Here are some quick facts for professional drivers and carriers to keep in mind:

  • In most cases, unless otherwise stated, all professional drivers participating should expect a multi-stop load when delivering veterans’ wreaths for WAA; on average, 8-12 stops.
  • Because sponsorships continue to come in right up to the last minute, final wreath counts are not available until the professional driver arrives for loading.
  • Load drops can be delivered on the route that best suits the professional driver!
  •  Don’t be surprised if volunteers at the location are full of gratitude and want to make a connection with you; YOU are valued by the local community!
 

Trucking Tuesdays

Listen to Trucking Tributes every Tuesday on Wreaths Across America Radio. If you have a story you’d like to share, click on the button below to schedule an interview.

WAA_MasterLogo_Radio (1)
 

Stay in the Know

The Moving the Mission Facebook Group is a space for supporters of Wreaths Across America working in the transportation industry to connect with and learn from one another. Members will share their stories of support, learn more about Wreaths Across America, including volunteer opportunities, and network with other industry professionals.

 

Featured Merchandise

With the 2025 “Keep Moving Forward” challenge coin on hand, you will always be reminded of this important message and be able to show your support for Wreaths Across America!

Browse all of our memorabilia here, or click on the button below to purchase the coin.

Screenshot 2025-08-13 130719
 
Wreaths Across America, PO Box 249, Columbia Falls, ME 04623, United States, 877-385-9504

100 images (Part 1): Legion Nationals produce record-breaking performances

An item from the Legion Magazine.


Front Lines
Front Lines

Lily Stroda of B.C./Yukon defended her Nationals U-18 heptathlon title in dominant style, breaking fellow-B.C.er Niki Oudenaarden’s 10-year-old national record with 5,573 points. Stroda won the LeRoy Washburn Award as the championships’ top female Legion athlete. [Stephen J. Thorne/LM]

100 images (Part 1): Legion Nationals produce record-breaking performances

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

The 47th Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships proved memorable, producing a pair of national record-breakers in heptathlete Lily Stroda from British Columbia/Yukon and sprinter Dennis Iriowen of Ontario.

Confronting a variety of weather in Calgary, from cold and wet to hot and dry, Stroda turned in a dominating performance in the seven-event heptathlon. As she set out to defend her 2024 title, she swept all four events on the first day of competition and went on to break a 10-year-old record set by fellow-British Columbian Niki Oudenaarden.

Her 5,573 points were almost 1,000 ahead of her closest opponent. The spellbinding effort earned Stroda the LeRoy Washburn Award as the championships’ top female Legion athlete.

READ MORE

Travel Mug—Adventure awaits. Go find it.
The Briefing
The Briefing

Military historian and author David O’Keefe. [@okeefehistorian/x]

Historian David O’Keefe on a suspicious WW II aircrew loss

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“This is the most intriguing story I’ve ever come across,” remarked historian David O’Keefe about the loss of Lancaster bomber LL862 in July 1944. Coming from the best-selling author of revelatory read One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe, it could be argued that that’s really saying something.

Rather than one day, however, this latest mystery is shrouded in a single night.

The mostly Canadian eight-man crew of 101 Squadron—a formation specializing in state-of-the-art electronic warfare—had embarked on a bombing mission over Homberg, Germany. That they hadn’t returned wasn’t suspicious in itself. On the contrary, Royal Air Force Bomber Command had long endured appalling losses, both of men and machinery, in its raids over the Reich. What didn’t add up, however, were the precise circumstances in which two flyers survived while others had perished.

READ MORE

Member Benefit Partner

Arbor Alliance