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Jul 3

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Welcome to our new Board of Directors

President - LCol (Ret’d) Ed Staniowski
Vice President - Mr Harvey Linnen
Past President -Maj (Ret’d) Brad Hrycyna

Directors:

LCdr Aaron Kaytor [Treasurer]
Ms Betty West [Secretary (by appointment)]
Col (Ret’d) Randy Brooks
Ms Janet Wilson
Ms Colleen Vancha
HLCol (Ret’d) Jocelyn Hutchinson

Leave a like to welcome all our new board members and those returning to serve RUSI’s mission. We appreciate their dedication.

#rusiregina #boardofdirectors #saskatchewan

Jul 2

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Throwback Thursday: as the Legion celebrates its 100th anniversary, it remembers some of its most interesting historical stories, like the Story of Branch No. 9.

In 1926, Branch No. 9 of the Canadian Legion BESL was formed entirely by Japanese Canadian veterans of the First World War.

Among them was Masumi Mitsui, a decorated veteran of the 10th Battalion CEF who fought at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, and Passchendaele. When the war ended, Mitsui returned home determined to continue serving his community. He helped build the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, dedicated on April 9, 1920 with the lighting of an eternal flame. He also helped form Branch No 9 and was elected its first president.

For years, Japanese Canadian veterans gathered at the branch. But with the outbreak of the Second World War, everything changed.

Branch No. 9 was told to voluntarily surrender its charter “to prevent any embarrassment to the Legion through their continued membership.” Though the veterans of Branch No 9 were later promised “every consideration” if they reapplied, the surrender carried a painful message.

In 1948, the veterans of Branch No. 9 asked to reinstate their charter. Their request was denied.

The Japanese Canadian War Memorial’s eternal flame was extinguished during the Second World War and was not relit until August 2, 1985, with Mitsui and two other Japanese Canadian First World War veterans present as guests of honour.

📸: 1. Founding members of the Canadian Japanese Association at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. // 1994.41.14.a-c, Nikkei National Museum
2. Canadian Legion B.E.S.L. - Japanese Branch #9 Flag //2016.5.1.2.1, Nikkei National Museum

Jul 1

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RUSI President LCol (Ret’d) Ed Staniowski would like to extend a Happy Canada Day from all of us at RUSI Regina, to all of you.

#rusiregina #canadaday

Jun 30

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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE REGINA LEGION:

🇨🇦 Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion with us at Branch 001!

10:30 a.m. – Flag Raising at Regina City Hall
11:00 a.m. – Commemorative Service at the Cenotaph

Following the ceremony, everyone is welcome to our Open House at the Regina Legion!

Come explore the Regina Legion Museum, learn more about our veterans’ stories, browse our displays, and celebrate 100 years of service to veterans, their families, and our community.

We look forward to seeing you there! 🇨🇦

#reginalegion #rusiregina #yqr #yqrevents #100thanniversary

Jun 25

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Throwback Thursday: Standing at 1820 Cornwall Street, this landmark memorial building is home to the first chartered branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Canada, established in 1926. More than a meeting hall, it has long served as a sacred space of remembrance for Saskatchewan’s military service and sacrifice.

A National Landmark (1947–1951)
Designed by architects Van Egmond and Storey, construction of the Memorial Hall began with the laying of the cornerstone on October 1, 1947. The building was completed in 1951 and officially opened on October 17 of that year by Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip.

The Memorial Tower
Rising above the building is its defining architectural feature—the Memorial Tower. Often described as a “sister presence” to Ottawa’s Peace Tower, it stands as a symbol of remembrance and national unity.
Within the tower are five stained glass windows, unveiled on May 14, 1955 by His Excellency the Rt. Hon. Vincent Massey, Governor-General of Canada. These luminous works transform light into a tribute to service and sacrifice.

Art & Memory
Inside the Memorial Hall are eight mural panels created in 1956 by Canadian artist Kenneth Lochhead. These powerful works depict themes of military history and remembrance, connecting past conflicts to national identity and collective memory. We have 5 beautiful stained glass windows in the building. The memorial tower has five stained glass windows which were unveiled on May 14, 1955 by His Excellency the Rt. Hon. Vincent Massey, Governor-General of Canada.

#reginask #royalcanadianlegion #saskhistory #militaryhistory #reginalegion

Jun 24

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Free admission! Did you know that the screening of Fallen Heros: Their Journey Home - a companion film to the Mission: Afghanistan exhibit showing with Who Wears The Uniform? - is free to the public?

⏰ 1pm every Sunday until Aug 30
📍 SGI Canada Theatre inside the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, SK

While you are there, we also strongly urge you to enter the RCMP Heritage Center for a small fee, and take in both of the exhibits as well✨

➡The RCMP Heritage Centre is open to the public daily from 10am - 5pm.

As you explore the stories in this exhibit, we hope you will get a glimpse of the amazing experiences, the incredible challenges, the heart breaking sacrifices, the tremendous accomplishments and gain insight into the Canadian experiences of the men and women who have served our country.

“Who Wears the Uniform? Stories of Modern Service in Saskatchewan” was created and designed by RUSI Regina and made possible through the funding from Veterans Affairs Commemorative Partnership Program.

Mission: Afghanistan is a Combined Forces Production in collaboration with Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, and the Military Museums. Through a successful fundraising campaign launched by RUSI Regina, it is visiting Saskatchewan for the first time. Our title sponsors are Commissionaires South Saskatchewan, Royal Canadian Legion Sask Command, and the Lumsden Legion Branch #234.

#rusiregina #RCMPHC #missionafghanistan #yqrevents

Jun 23

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The Regina Legion is proud to share their new online digital collection! Browse more than 2,000 photos, letters, and documents of military life now available on MemorySask at https://memorysask.ca/royal-canadian-legion-branch-001-regina-museum

#memorysask #rusiregina #saskatchewan #saskhistory #militaryhistory

Jun 22

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We are honoured to welcome LCol (Ret’d) Ed Staniowski as our newly elected President of RUSI Regina.

♥️Like this post to show your support for Ed as he and the board create a strong foundation for Kelsey and the RUSI staff and volunteers to build what is undoubtedly going to be an exciting new future for the organization.

#rusiregina #boardpresident #saskatchewan #militaryhistory #welcome

Jun 19

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Today, we join communities across Canada in celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21st. We also extend our appreciation to the Indigenous members of the armed forces, past and present, whose bravery, dedication, and unique contributions are beyond valuable to our country.

Master Warrant Officer Jason Head’s story can be heard in full over at www.rusiregina.ca under the Who Wears The Uniform? tab. His journey is impressive and we urge you to go and give it a listen.

#NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay #rusiregina

Jun 19

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Congratulations to our Executive Director and Chief Historian Kelsey Lonie on the launch of her second book A Vacation for Victory: An Illustrated History of the Women’s Land Army in Canada hosted by @heritageregina and thank you to all who came out to enjoy her presentation this evening.

The book is available for purchase at Indigo and Amazon, by contacting Kelsey herself at @kelseylonie or by sending us a DM.

About the book:

Serving not in uniforms or factories but in orchards, fields, and farms, the women and girls of Canada’s Women’s Land Army - the youngest of whom were known as “farmerettes” - planted, picked, and packed food that sustained the nation while men fought overseas.

A Vacation for Victory brings this fascinating Second World War history to life. Blending creative nonfiction with archival letters, newspaper clippings, interviews, and her own grandmother’s recollections, Kelsey Lonie portrays the working lives of women who formed Canada’s farm front. Their stories and photographs reveal how they understood both their labour and their changing place in society. Unlike other Allied countries, Canada did not create a national land army; instead, provinces took the lead. Ontario recruited thousands of women, while British Columbia’s program faltered until prairie women, eager for new experiences elsewhere, signed up. Patriotic duty, however, is only part of Lonie’s narrative: wealthy landowners expanded orchards, leaving the hardest, dirtiest jobs to marginalized workers, thus exposing how racism and capitalism shaped wartime farming industries.

Richly illustrated with photographs, postcards, and cultural ephemera, A Vacation for Victory offers powerful accounts of grit, inequity, and resilience, restoring women to the centre of Canada’s wartime effort.

#canadianhistory #saskatchewanhistory #militaryhistory

Jun 17

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The Mission: Afghanistan exhibit is designed to help Canadians understand the Canadian experience in Afghanistan. Through artifact displays and touch screen interviews of the people who were there we allow the viewer to come to a better understanding of what it was like for Canadians to serve in Afghanistan and to share in their pride of mission. The men and women who served in Afghanistan carry the memories and, in many cases, the scars from that experience. 162 families have lost loved ones to this war. As you explore the stories in this exhibit, we hope you will get a glimpse of the amazing experiences, the incredible challenges, the heart breaking sacrifices, the tremendous accomplishments and gain insight into the Canadian experience in Mission: Afghanistan.

Come see the exhibit 7 days a week 10-4pm at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, SK until Aug.30🎖️

Mission: Afghanistan is a Combined Forces Production in collaboration with Department of National Defence, Directorate of History and Heritage, and the Military Museums. Through a successful fundraising campaign launched by RUSI Regina, it is visiting Saskatchewan for the first time. Our title sponsors are Commissionaires South Saskatchewan, Royal Canadian Legion Sask Command, and the Lumsden Legion Branch #234.

#rusiregina #militaryhistory #saskatchewan #yqrevents

Jun 16

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Carrier pigeons…a part of our military history not often talked about, but always fascinating.

The Canadian Army maintained pigeon units during the war. Pigeons were especially valuable because they required no fuel or electricity, could operate when radio equipment was damaged and were difficult for the enemy to intercept.

Reposted: @kelseylonie

#rusiregina #militaryhistory #canadianhistory #carrierpigeon

Our Patron
The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan

Sponsors & Partners

RUSI Regina is proud to be a formal institutional partner of the University of Regina.