Royal Canadian Legion / HomeEquity Bank: Team Legion

Remembrance Day, when commonwealth countries hold ceremonies to honour their veterans, will look different in 2020. As we face one of our greatest challenges in peacetime the COVID-19 pandemic it's more important than ever to ensure that our veterans' stories of courage and selflessness are passed on to future generations. Last year, the Royal Canadian Legion, in partnership with HomeEquity Bank and Zulu Alpha kilo, brought the Remembrance Day moment of silence to video game streaming services like Twitch in a highly successful campaign that saw nearly a million gamers in 114 countries around the world lay down their controllers. The campaign, #PauseToRemember, was part of a broader partnership around HomeEquity Bank’s sponsorship of the Legion’s digital poppy initiative. For its second year, the campaign is centered on a newly assembled group of WWII veterans called Team Legion. This team will be joining the world of online gaming to share their real experiences on Remembrance Day. Their logo was inspired by Esports teams, and contains the number 11 — a nod to the moment of silence that occurs on 11th hour of November 11th. Team Legion is composed of decorated Canadian war heroes such as 100-year-old Captain Jack Rhine, 95-year-old Albert “Bert" Card, 97-year-old George Brewster and 96-year-old Jack Boeki. With many veterans unable to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies in person, Team Legion will be standing together on the virtual battlefield surrounded by players who will hear their stories and honour their service. Zulu’s latest effort hearkens back to last year’s Digital Poppy campaign where 96-year-old veteran Ardwell Eyres joined social media to share a digital poppy as one of the world’s oldest influencers.