Hundreds of Winnipeg students pay tribute to vets at No Stone Left Alone ceremony

Hundreds of high school students took time out of their day Monday to pay tribute to Canada’s veterans.

A No Stone Left Alone service took place in the Transcona Cemetery’s Field of Honour.

The program sees students attend a Remembrance Day service outdoors at a military cemetery, place a poppy on a soldier’s grave and salute veterans in attendance. Winnipeggers who served in the Afghanistan war were guests of honour at Monday’s service.

“Every student takes this very seriously,” said event organizer Peter Martin. “There was no laughing, no running. There was nobody making a noise. They went and did their job because they were taught how to salute, how to stand at attention and to respect the veterans who are here.”

Martin said attending the ceremony gives students a better perspective about the sacrifices soldiers made during wartime.

“It actually gets them out of the classroom, in front of the stone, rather than reading about it in a book, and it finds much more impact when they're actually doing something,” he said.

Another No Stone Left Alone service will take place in Winnipeg on Wednesday at Brookside Cemetery.