Legendary sportscaster Jim Hughson, known for his iconic hockey and baseball calls, is officially inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Honouring the Voices We Rarely Hear
As Remembrance Day draws near, Canadians pause to reflect not only on those who made the ultimate sacrifice but also on those who served, returned home, and quietly carried their stories with them.
One active service member, who chose to remain anonymous, offered a simple yet powerful reminder: “We often honour the fallen and the wounded, but many who served still bear invisible scars. Maybe people just don’t know.”
That quiet truth captures what so many veterans live every day the unseen cost of service, the untold stories of bravery that rarely make the headlines.
A Lifetime in Service, A Legacy in Silence
Take Robert Cookson, for example. After 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, he retired as a Chief Petty Officer, 1st Class a rank earned through decades of dedication, grit, and courage.
Yet, his name doesn’t appear in Remembrance Day speeches or history books. It should.
“I was with the first group of soldiers sent into Honduras in 1990,” Cookson recalled. “Our job was to disarm insurgent forces coming down from the hills. We were unarmed, relying on allied troops for protection. Some of those encounters could’ve turned deadly in a heartbeat.”
Despite the risk, that mission barely registers in Canada’s official records. It’s a chapter of bravery largely erased from the public eye — one of many.
Fire at Sea: The Night Courage Took the Helm
Fast forward to 2003. Cookson was serving as Coxswain aboard the HMCS Ottawa, stationed 200 nautical miles off the Baja Peninsula. What started as a routine night turned into a fight for survival when a massive fire erupted in the engine room.
“There were 241 of us on board,” he said. “The smoke was so thick you couldn’t see your own hand. Crews fought in 20-minute shifts just to stay conscious.”
Among them was Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Sidney Smith, who led each team through suffocating darkness, directing them toward the flames to keep the fire from spreading. “He probably saved the ship that night,” Cookson said quietly.
Official reports later summarized the event in a single sentence “The ship was underway again within two hours.” But the truth of that night, the fear, the exhaustion, and the heroism, lived on only in the memories of those who were there.
The Family Who Served Together
Courage runs deep in the Cookson family. Robert’s wife, Darlene, was part of the first group of Canadians deployed to Afghanistan.
“Her mission was supposed to last six months,” Cookson said, “but between training and deployment, she was gone for a year and a half.”
While she was away, he juggled life at home with their two children often waiting, hoping for the next phone call. “You didn’t make promises to talk,” he said. “If she couldn’t call, that silence would’ve been unbearable.”
Even years later, the echoes of that service remain. Darlene can’t sit with her back to a room, avoids crowds, and can’t bear the sound of bagpipes. “They played them at ramp ceremonies,” Robert explained softly, “when they sent the fallen home.”
Echoes That Never Fade
For veterans like Cookson, the past isn’t gone it lingers in unexpected moments.
“When the power goes out at home, everything goes quiet,” he said. “On a ship, that silence means danger. Even now, I wake up instantly, heart pounding, waiting for the alarm.”
His story, and Darlene’s, remind us that remembrance isn’t just about history it’s about humanity.
Why These Stories Matter
While we honour the fallen on November 11, it’s just as important to remember those who returned forever changed. Their courage might not make the news, but it shaped our nation just the same.
As Cookson’s words and experiences remind us, remembrance means more than recalling battles — it’s about acknowledging the unseen bravery that continues long after the uniforms are hung up.
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