55 www.mbnwo.legion.ca Provincial Contest Winner - Intermediate Essay Anya Waldner The Sound of Silence: An Essay by Anya Waldner I'm scared. Gunshots ricochet through the air all around me. Bullets fly over me as I sit in a trench. I didn't want this; nobody did. I look up and see my friend, hunched over, blood-soaked, and obviously on his last breaths. Is that the fate that awaits me? Is that how I'll end up? Scared, hopeless, dying, and alone? Willi really never see my family again? As I struggle to wrap my head around my conflicted thoughts, I realize that it can't be. I won't let it . Determination pumps through my veins and adrenaline rushes to my head. I can't cower away while others fight my battle. Our battle. I have to defend my country, I have to defend my family, and I have to protect the future. I reload my gun and silently pray for protection as I climb out ofthe trench. My fear almost pulls me back down. The stench of death, blood, and smoke surrounds me. A lump rises in my throat, tears sting my eyes and wash down my dirty cheeks. As I lift my weary eyes, I notice a flower, untouched, growing in the midst of fallen soldiers. I bend to pick up the bright red bloom and hold it against my heart. This small symbol of hope, beauty, and survival amongst this chaos is enough to bring me to my knees. Deep down in my heart, I know we have won. Though I bear many scars, most of them are on my heart. It is over! The sound of silence is almost deafening. We should be celebrating, and yet many of us will never know we are victorious. I walk through the fields in search of survivors, and I know I will never forget. The sound of silence on November 11th every year is not just the absence of noise, but the weight of history, sacrifice, loss, and remembrance. November 11th is more than remembering our past; it's about honoring those who made our future. Those who fought daily for freedom, those who cried for help that would never come, those who were carried home in boxes, and those who never made it home at all. This day is about making a better future. On November 11th, 2025, don't forget to remember, and as you stand wordlessly for 2 minutes at 11, you can hear the sound of silence too. The Royal Canadian Legion
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