Today is the eleventh day of the eleventh month. And at the eleventh hour, people across Canada and abroad paused to remember veterans past and present who gave their lives for Canada.

With the strains of bagpipes in their ears, and their coats closed tight against the cold and freezing rain of Ottawa, hundreds of veterans and fellow Canadians gathered for ceremonies at the National War Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Thousands more crowded nearby streets to catch a glimpse of the ceremonies.

As Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and Prime Minister Jean Chretien laid wreaths at the memorial, veterans fought back tears as they remembered 85 years since the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War.

Chretien, at the ceremony for what will likely be his last Remembrance Day as prime minister, issued a statement Tuesday saying this year, he is particularly mindful of those who lost their lives and were wounded in Afghanistan.

"In our simple moment of silence, our shared act of remembering, we express our deep respect for the ordinary Canadians -- those we knew and those we could have known -- who made extraordinary sacrifices on our behalf," the prime minister said in a statement.

"We give thanks and pray too, for our soldiers today so far from home -- away from their families and friends -- who are fighting the war on terrorism."

As the Silver Cross Mother, Charlotte Smith, mother of Pte. Nathan Smith, one of four soldiers killed in a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan last year, laid a wreath at the memorial. Smith told Canada AM it's an honour to represent all the mothers who have lost sons or daughters in war.

"The Silver Cross means a lot to me. It's given to us to show that our sons died for our country. And it's great to be representing all the mothers of the country in this way," she said.

Similar ceremonies were held across the country, from St. John's to Victoria, to remember the more than 110,000 Canadians, who died in two world wars, Korea and other campaigns.

On a sour note to the day, vandals spray-painted anti-war slogans on Ottawa's National War Memorial, just hours before ceremonies were to begin. Just before 5:30 a.m., black spray paint was used to deface the base of the memorial.

Staff from the National Capital Commission erased the lettering with a pressure washer.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Canadian soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan held a solemn ceremony dedicated to their six comrades killed on the mission there. Four were killed during Operation Apollo in April 2002, while two others died on Oct. 2, 2003.

As strong winds kicked up thick clouds of dust, hundreds of troops stood at attention for a ceremony to dedicate a new permanent memorial. The inscription on a plaque alongside the new monument reads: "Dedicated to those Canadians who gave their lives in the service of peace while serving in Afghanistan."

Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier, who will take over command of ISAF operations in Afghanistan in February, praised the tribute to Sgt. Marc Leger, Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green, Pte. Nathan Smith, Sgt. Robert Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger.

"It's just a physical remembrance, but that's important also, to have it right in front of us on a daily basis just to help ensure that we will not forget and that we will remember," he said.

Leger, Dyer, Green and Smith were killed during Operation Apollo on April 18, 2002. They were the first Canadians killed in combat since the Korean War. Short and Beerenfenger died after their Iltis vehicle struck what was believed to be a landmine Oct. 2, while patrolling the outskirts of Kabul.

Hillier reminded the troops of just why they are in Afghanistan -- Sept. 11.

"We're here because a great friend and one of our closest allies was attacked, and some 3,000 innocent people died -- 3,000 families devastated forever," Hillier said.

"We're here because we were attacked that day," added Hillier. "Twenty-seven Canadians, I believe was the total, who died on 11, Sept., '01."

Elsewhere around the world, in countries such as Bosnia and Cyprus, Canadian soldiers remembered the sacrifice of wars past, with the sombre recognition of battles still being fought.

In Juno Beach, France, a helicopter dropped tens of thousands of poppies on the beach Tuesday morning, evoking memories of a mass paratroop drop. Each poppy commemorated one of the Canadians killed in France. French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin then offered his praise to Canadians.

"We remember the children of Canada who landed on these shores, so young, on June the 6th, 1944,” he said in French. "In the early dawn, under fire from the enemy, they moved into a combat for freedom and the dignity of man on the European continent.”

In accented English, he added: "We do thank you for freedom."