Canadians from coast to coast took pause today, to remember the sacrifices of the thousands of soldiers who have fallen in service of their country.

In the nation's capital, a crowd of soldiers, dignitaries and regular citizens braved the chilly November winds for a service at the National War Memorial on Parliament Hill.

Prime Minister Paul Martin was there under grey skies, along with Veterans Affairs Minister Albina Guarnieri, and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.

CTV's Mike Duffy says though the weather was cold and windy, he was pleased to see that about 15,000 chose to attend the ceremony -- especially a large number of children and youths.

At the 11th hour on this, the 11th day of the 11th month, they paused to remember the sacrifices of Canada's military, as a lone bagpiper played a lament.

"Oh God, instill the power of your love within the human heart, so that there will be no more war, no more conflict, no more suffering," read Brig.-Gen. Ron Bourque, Chaplain General to the Canadian Forces.

Agatha Dyer, the mother of Canadian soldier Ainsworth Dyer who was killed in Afghanistan, then laid a wreath at the base of the Memorial on behalf of all bereaved soldiers' parents.

Ainsworth Dyer was one of four soldiers killed during a "friendly fire" incident two years ago outside Kabul, when a bomb was accidentally dropped on them.

Agatha is the second mother of those four men to be named the Silver Cross mother. She says her son would be very proud that she was chosen by the Royal Canadian Legion, but she added that she still suffers from her loss.

"I remember Ainsworth every day. Every day is a Remembrance Day for me. I miss talking to him. I miss his calling, and his fun. There are so many things that I miss about Ainsworth," she told Canada AM earlier in the morning.

Countrywide and around the world

Other ceremonies were held across the country to remember the 1.5 million or so Canadians who served in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, and the more than 110,000 who gave their lives.

NDP leader Jack Layton attended ceremonies in Toronto, while Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe was in Montreal attending one of two memorial services.

And Conservative leader Stephen Harper attended ceremonies at the War Memorial in downtown Halifax.

Among members of the naval community in the Nova Scotia capital, the memory of Lt. Chris Saunders was weighing heavily. Saunders died in early October, days after a fire on board the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi.

Saunders' mother was presented with the flag that flew at half mast on Parliament Hill when her son's death was announced to the nation.

Other ceremonies included:

• In Calgary, where several hundred people gathered for an hour-long ceremony in Memorial Park, Colin Pattison decided to bring his children for their first look at the memorial wreathes being placed at the cenotaph. "The little ones are starting to understand," he said. "It's the first time down here with them -- time to get them thinking about what was done and why it was done."
• Canada's oldest winner of the Victoria Cross, Smokey Smith, attended a ceremony at the new Victory Square in Vancouver, B.C. Only awarded to 16 Canadians, the cross is the Commonwealth's highest honour for valour.
• In Winnipeg, there were two ceremonies: one downtown and the other on Valour Road. Formerly known as Pine St., that was where three First World War Victoria Cross winners all grew.
• In Kabul, Canadian troops serving with an international peace force held their own ceremony. Cpl. April Pettipas, whose cousin, Pte. Nathan Smith died alongside Dyer, laid a wreath at a plaque in Camp Julien.
• The inscription on the plaque reads: "Dedicated to those Canadians who gave their lives in the service of peace while serving in Afghanistan."
• In Khartoum, Sudan, the two Canadians serving with a UN force placed a wreath at a Commonwealth war cemetery.

This year, the focus is on the 60th anniversary of the Italian campaign, marking the role Canadian troops played in liberating Italy from the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini and his German Nazi allies.

Prime Minister Martin says that although it's been decades since Canada was involved in a major global conflict, Canadians must still take the time to remember the sacrifices of those who died for our country.

"Over time, there will be fewer veterans to tell of their exploits and their heroes," he said in a statement. "It falls to us therefore, to the Canadians of now and tomorrow, to ensure the remembrance of those who sacrificed.

"It falls to us to keep an eternal vigil to the memory of their selflessness and their courage. We must never forget those who fought for Canada. We must cherish the freedoms that so many died to protect."

The first Remembrance Day, called Armistice Day, was conducted in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth to commemorate the end of the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918.

There are fewer and fewer veterans of that war still alive in Canada.

Their average age is 103.