How are you commemorating Remembrance Day, and why is it important to you?

For some reason, Remembrance Day this year feels different than years past.

Maybe it's the federal government's advertising efforts to commemorate the War of 1812. Or maybe it's because so many veterans from World Wars I and II are no longer with us, and it truly has fallen to us to remember their sacrifice.

Or perhaps it's because so many Canadian troops continue to serve overseas — in war-torn areas like Afghanistan, Darfur, Sierra Leone or the Congo. And because of terrorist acts on North American soil, war is no longer something that happens far away; that Canadians can be called into action at any time to defend us from a threat that views us as an enemy.

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Canadians who serve our country are both the most ordinary and extraordinary among us. They are farmers, doctors, mechanics, and clerks who might otherwise not stand out in a crowd. But they are also heroes willing to go into the most dangerous corners of the planet and lay down their lives so we can enjoy the security we have become accustomed to.

In many ways, it's a shame that we remember our veterans only once a year. And maybe that's why, when Remembrance Day does come around, it's so important for us to take time to truly remember and appreciate all that they have done for us.

So we ask you: How are you commemorating Remembrance Day, and why is it important to you?

Have your say in the comments area below.