Ducimus

Ducimus is Latin for "We Lead." It's also the motto of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps with whom my son, will be an Officer after just one more year of training. Shortly after this post, Jeffrey and I discussed the possibility of writing a guest blog post for me, about how he views Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. He agreed, and that post appears below. The photos, as usual, are mine.

I promised my Mom that I would write a little something about Afghanistan and what it means to be a Canadian soldier. I will not go into the specifics of the mission, but I encourage people to take the time to educate themselves about the mission in which our soldiers are involved. So here is my take on Afghanistan and being a soldier.



In just over a year’s time, I will graduate from the Royal Military College of Canada. When I do, I will have the honour and the privilege of leading some thirty or so of Canada’s finest men and women. Every day, I put on my uniform and proudly wear the Canadian flag on my shoulder because I believe in this country and everything it represents.





People sometimes ask me why Canadians are fighting in Afghanistan and it is a difficult question to answer because there is no single response. As a country, we are in Afghanistan because Canadians, through our elected representatives, have decided that it is in our country’s best interests to be there. As individuals, soldiers have many reasons for wanting to go. Most soldiers, myself included, believe whole-heartedly in the mission and given the chance, would be there without a moment’s hesitation.

Earlier this year I attended a briefing with a couple hundred of my fellow aspiring officers, and the question “Who wants to go to Afghanistan?” was posed. There was not one person whose hand did not immediately shoot into the air. I want to go to Afghanistan because I believe that I can play a part in making it a safer and more developed country. Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan is set to end in 2011, so I may not get the opportunity to serve there, but I know that there will always be someplace where I will be able to help make a difference.





Living in Canada, it is easy to forget that the world is a very unpleasant place for many people, and that unfortunately, there will always be a need for soldiers like myself. As a country, we have an obligation, not only to protect ourselves and our interests, but to help the rest of the world become a better place. I have great faith in Canadians with our morals and values to choose the right missions for the Canadian military. I know that wherever I am sent, I will be there to do good, and to promote those values.



In Afghanistan, 117 Canadian soldiers have given their lives for their country. I sometimes hear people say that these lives have been ‘wasted’ and, I have to say, this angers me. Each and every one of those men and women died fighting for something that they believed in. Wasted implies that these lives were given carelessly and without thought or purpose. This is not the case.




When I will eventually lead my soldiers in operations, I know that I will be putting them at risk. I think that my biggest fear is that I will have to send one of my soldiers home in a casket. They will know that I am going do everything in my power to make sure that every single one of them comes home alive, but at the end of the day, bullets still fly two ways and that risk can never be eliminated. They know this, but they are still willing to take that risk because they believe in what they are doing. That is what it means to be a Canadian soldier. They take those risks willingly so that others won’t have to.

To those who have made the ultimate sacrifice - Rest Easy.

Ducimus

Thank you, Jeffrey for writing this guest post for me. You know how profoundly proud I am of you. Stick around for comments!

The image below was inspired by a series of photos I saw in an elementary school hallway on Saturday. It showed the faces of every child in the school, done in a mosaic-like artwork. When stepping back from it, you could see that the individual faces made up the Canadian flag. This is a far less sophisticated rendition of that idea. The faces you see in are those of our 117 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty in Afghanistan. The words are the lyrics to our National Anthem in both English and French. You can see the names of these courageous soldiers here and here. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

True Patriot Love

Today, at the eleventh hour of this eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canada and many other countries around the world will honour our war heroes with two minutes of silence. I'd like to tell you about how we Canadians also honour our men and women who have lost their lives while on mission in Afghanistan.

In southern Ontario, there is a 172 kilometre (107 mile) stretch of our main Highway 401 between Canadian Forces Base Trenton and Toronto. It is along this route that our citizens pay tribute to our fallen soldiers as they return home for the final time.

It began in 2002, when the first of our servicemen who died in Afghanistan was repatriated. In the city of Oshawa, a few dozen citizens and police officers gathered upon an overpass to salute as the hearse passed underneath. They were there to show their respect, gratitude and support.

As Canada endured more losses in Afghanistan, this movement grew. More and more civilians, veterans, police and firefighters gather and wait on the many overpasses along this long stretch of highway to honour our fallen. From children to the elderly, and every age in between, they appear from all walks of life, and wait for hours through all kinds of weather to show their pride, respect, and sorrow for the fallen, and support for their families. In silence, the procession drives by, beneath the many overpasses which are lined by people - hands over hearts, who salute and wave flags in tribute.

This stretch of Canada's busiest Highway 401 has officially since been named The Highway of Heroes.

There are many poignant images in the video below, which I found on YouTube. The song Highway of Heroes was written and performed by the Canadian band The Trews and can be purchased through iTunes. Net proceeds go to the Canadian Hero Fund which provides scholarships to the families of fallen soldiers.

(If you're reading this post via email, you'll have to click on my blog to see the video)

By Remembrance Day 2008, we had lost 97 of our sons and daughters in Afghanistan, and I listed these soldiers names then. By April, 2009, we lost 20 more and their names appear here. In May of 2009, my son, Jeffrey wrote a blog post for me about what it means to him to be a soldier and at the bottom of that post, I designed an image showing the 117 faces of our lost soldiers blended with our Canadian Flag. That post and image can be seen here. By this time last year, we lost an additional 16 men and women in Afghanistan and the numbers totaled 133. Their names are here.

Today, too many more names have been added to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Our number of fallen now total 152. The additional 19 names since last November are below.

Lieutenant Andrew Nuttal, 30 • Sergeant George Miok, 28 • Corporal Zachery McCormack, 21 • Private Garrett William Chidley, 21 • Sergeant Kirk Taylor, 28 • Sergeant John Wayne Fraught, 44 • Corporal Joshua Caleb Baker, 24 • Corporal Darren James Fitzpatrick, 21 • Private Tyler William Todd, 26 • Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake, 37 • Private Kevin Thomas McKay, 24 • Colonel Geoff Parker, 42 • Trooper Larry Rudd, 26 • Sergeant Martin Goudreault, 35 • Sergeant James MacNeil, 28 • Master Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht, 34 • Private Andrew Miller, 21 • Sapper Brian Collier, 24 • Corporal Brian Pinksen, 21

The photos and stories of all 152 men and women lost since 2002 can be found here.

Please remember your duty and privilege to honour our heroes with two minutes of silence.

To the many who have made the ultimate sacrifice, thank you.

Lest we forget.

Sunset Ceremony at RMC

This is the second part of our visit with Jeffrey in Kingston last week. To catch up on the first part, please read the previous blog post.

Before the ceremony began, our Skyhawks did a couple of flybys, dropping streamers in order to determine wind direction and whether or not it would be safe to demonstrate their signature Canadian flag parachute jumps. Shortly afterward, they decided to cancel the jump due to the increasingly inclement weather. It was disappointing but, unlike last year when they canceled the full evening's events, the rest of the show still went on.



Once 7:30 rolled around, the rain clouds joined in. First with a spit, then a spatter and finally with a steady downpour. We watched as umbrellas in front of us dripped onto our laps, which were gratefully covered with a ground sheet. One of the good things about having a son in the military, is that he's always prepared.



RMC is the only Canadian university which has Tai Kwon Do as an official varsity sport. The evening started out with a demonstration of their skills.




Though the mats had been turned upside down until the demonstration was about to begin, they quickly became wet, causing this fellow to miss his footing on his first attempt to jump over his teammates and break the board. This second jump proved successful.




Old Eighteen refers to the first 18 cadets who entered RMC in 1876. Tradition dictates that first year cadets are required to memorize their names. The Old Eighteen Historic Drill Team demonstrated their daily training from over 130 years ago.



The Naval Gun Run was first used toward the end of the 19th century and into the 20th as a means to supply the army with artillery support. The guns were removed from their fixed mountings on naval ships and transferred to shore, where naval crews fought alongside the army troops.




Shortly after the drill demonstrations, Old Eighteen had some help from some faux American soldiers to reenact a battle from the War of 1812. Ready, aim...




Fire!




There were many casualties on both sides.




And the dead bodies littered the parade square where they fell.




After the historic battle reenactments, the RMC Sandhurst Military Skills Team demonstrated the skills they've learned and used in competition against military academies in other countries such as Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK and West Point in the US. They are the proud World Champions for 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The Sandhurst team arrived on campus in a helicopter, which hovered over the field behind us. They then rappelled out of the helicopter and headed into the parade square for their demo. Don captured this film on his video camera.




The team showcased the various skills required to compete in combat.




These soldiers demonstrated the teamwork required to climb up and over a twelve-foot wall.

At some point in the evening, the rain began to let up. After another few minutes, it stopped completely, and umbrellas that had partially obscured our view were put away. I was already finding the photography challenging since the subjects were at a distance and it was overcast, but even more so now that it was getting darker, which shows in the grainy appearance of the pictures. This was a sunset ceremony after all. Not that we had actually seen the sun, but at least now we were no longer being rained upon.

I have a few more photos from the rest of the ceremony that day in Kingston which I'll save for next time. Stay tuned for part three which I'll post in a few days.

Wrong

My older son is home for a few days now that his exams are over for this year. His next few weeks will keep him busy fulfilling obligations back at school and then his summer will take him back to Gagetown, New Brunswick for thirteen weeks of military training - ten of which will be spent out in the field. He won't be home again until late August at the earliest, and most likely not until mid-October. For this week, my boys and I will be together. We'll share meals, music and conversation, and for now, all will feel right in my world.

Over the past few days, I've been to Frank's place and back. Among the many photos which I took, were a few of things that somehow were wrong. It wasn't intentional, but in reviewing the images, I found myself saying "Wrong. That's wrong. That's very wrong."

Frank wanted me to see this tree which he happened upon in a small parking lot a few days earlier.

It appeared to be surviving and sprouting its spring foliage despite how damaged it actually was. (please click to enlarge)



A huge segment of its trunk was hollowed out on two sides. Sheer determination alone appeared to be what was keeping it alive. (please click to enlarge)



I photographed it from a few angles - each one showing just how much of the trunk is missing. And yet it thrives, much like some brave souls who manage to cope with whatever hand they're dealt. (please click to enlarge)



Nearby, we happened upon this "Welcome" mat in an unlikely spot. Not on a porch. Not on a doorstep. Not outside of a store. It was simply sitting right in the middle of the road. (please click to enlarge)



These two guys were fishing for trout, but not in the traditional way. Earlier this month, when the creek overflowed from heavy rains, it flooded over the banks, across the path, along the grassy area and into the nearby pond, and carried two to three dozen trout with it. These fish need to get back out to the creek to successfully continue their spawning process and so these two volunteers were catching the trout in nets, removing them from the pond and replacing them into the creek where they belong. Thanks to them, the fish population will not be diminished as significantly as it would have been without their help. (please click to enlarge)



The creek is where spawning trout like this pair belong. That crazy pattern comes from the reflection of the trees which tower over the water. (please click to enlarge)



While out walking, Frank pointed up at a tree and interjected one word into our otherwise logical conversation. "Guitar."

"Guitar?"

"Yeah, there's a guitar up in that tree."



Sure enough.... .. someone's Kawasaki Keyboom guitar was posing nicely amid the branches of a tree. It was fairly high up, and I can't imagine how it got there. (please click to enlarge)



Of all things that were wrong (that is - not as it normally appears), this was the most heart-wrenching. Our Canadian flag at half-mast to honour our most recently fallen soldier, killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. She was 21 year old Trooper Karine Blais and she was just two weeks into her first tour of duty. She was the 117th to die in the Afghan mission since it began seven years ago, the second female to die in this mission and she was her parents' only daughter. (please click to enlarge)



As with those who passed before her, Karine Blais' body traveled the Highway of Heroes - a stretch of Highway 401 which runs between Canadian Forces Base Trenton through to Toronto. Thousands of people gather on the overpasses along the route, to pay respects, to say "thank you" and "goodbye" to our fallen soldiers as they return home. This January, 2009 article by Paul Crookall tells the story of this tradition best. (please click to enlarge)

On November 11th, 2008, in a blog post called Remembering Our Heroes, I included the names of the 97 soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan up to that time. Since then, we have lost an additional twenty sons and daughters. They are:

Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, 23 • Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, 25 • Warrant Officer Robert Wilson, 37 • Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, 26 • Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin, 26 • Pte. Justin Peter Jones, 21 • Private Michael Freeman, 28 • Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge, 45 • Sgt. Gregory John Kruse, 40 • Trooper Brian Richard Good, 42 • Sapper Sean Greenfield, 25 • Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, 38 • Cpl. Dany Fortin, 29 • Cpl. Kenneth O’Quinn, 25 • Trooper Marc Diab, 22 • Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, 28 • Cpl. Tyler Crooks, 24 • Trooper Jack Bouthillier, 20 • Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes, 22 • Trooper Karine Blais, 21

Thank you.

Remembering Our Heroes

Friday, November 11 is Remembrance Day here in Canada.

On this day, last year, I wrote a blog post about how Canada honours our men and women who lost their lives while on mission in Afghanistan.

Our Highway of Heroes is a stretch of Highway 401 between Canadian Forces Base Trenton and the city of Toronto. It is along this road where Canadians gather on overpasses to pay tribute, gratitude and respect to our fallen soldiers as they return home for the final time.

On June 29th of this past summer, Frank and I were returning from a stay up at the cottage. As we passed CFB Trenton, we noticed that a few folks had collected on the overpass just beyond the exit. We quickly realized that they gathered for the repatriation of Master Cpl. Francis Roy who had lost his life in Afghanistan a few days earlier. He served with our country's special forces regiment and sadly died of non-combat related injuries. No further explanation was ever given, nor has it been required. The devastation of war affects both body and soul.

As Frank and I carried on along the highway toward home, we continued to see grateful citizens and veterans collect on the bridges or in the fields lining the westbound highway.

We had a quite a few miles to go before we arrived home but it dawned on me that since folks were continuing to gather, we were significantly ahead of the procession, and there would be time for me to join them on the bridge once we arrived in Bowmanville.

We quickly dropped suitcases and perishables off at the house and then Frank drove me over to a spot near the overpass.

Others were standing by, and they welcomed me as I joined them on the bridge.

As we waited for the procession to arrive, support was shown with the wave of our country's flag.

Passing cars showed their encouragement and appreciation with a series of honks or a supportive gesture.

Much about this solemn, patriotic event made me wish I hadn't forgotten to bring tissues with me.

Soon, representatives from the local fire department arrived, and those who previously stood watch understood that this signaled that the procession would soon pass by.

Within a few minutes, I heard someone say "Here they come," and all eyes looked eastward, over the highway below.

The hearse and official vehicles passed by silently.

Flags were rolled up.

And the group quietly dispersed.

As I walked back to Frank's, I thought about Master Cpl. Francis Roy and his family, and I hoped he would be the last Canadian to lose his life in Afghanistan.

I also thought about my fellow blogger, Gabi, also known as CorvusCorvax12 (previously known as Twain12), who lost her own beautiful boy, Patrick to this mission in 2007. My heart aches for her and her family's loss. Knowing somebody, even if only through text, brings it much closer to home.

Of course, I thought a lot about my own son, Jeffrey who thankfully remains safely on Canadian soil, taking courses which will train him for his military career in Air Traffic and Air Weapons Control.

I wanted this to be the last time Canadians would have to stand upon a bridge to witness one of our own coming home. Sadly, this was not to be the case. Just a couple of weeks ago, we lost yet another young soldier - Master Cpl. Byron Greff a young father of two who had been home on leave just four days earlier to meet his newborn daughter. He was our fifth loss since this time last year. May he be the final loss our country endures.

Canadians across the nation have been buying and wearing poppies for the past couple of weeks. Please join us at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of this eleventh month, in our duty and privilege, by remembering our heroes with two minutes of silence.

The names of the 158 soldiers who have traveled the Highway of Heroes appear below.

Sgt. Scott Shipway, 36 • Cpl. Andrew Grenon, 23 • Cpl. Mike Seggie, 21 • Pte. Chad Horn, 21 • Sgt. Shawn Eades, 33 • Sapper Stephan John Stock, 25 • Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden, 25 • Master Cpl. Erin Doyle, 32 • Master Cpl. Josh Roberts, 30 • Cpl. James Hayward Arnal, 25 • Pte. Colin William Wilmot, 24 • Cpl. Brendan Anthony Downey, 37 • Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder, 26 • Capt. Richard (Steve) Leary, 32 • Cpl. Michael Starker, 36 • Pte. Terry John Street, 24 • Sgt. Jason Boyes, 32 • Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet, 22 • Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze, 25 • Cpl. Etienne Gonthier, 21 • Trooper Richard Renaud, 26 • Cpl. Eric Labbe, 31 • Warrant Officer Hani Massouh, 41 • Cpl. Kevin Megeney, 25 • Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31 • Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23 • Pte. Kevin Vincent Kennedy, 20 • Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20 • Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24 • Cpl. Brent Donald Poland, 37 • Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 31 • Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23 • Master Cpl. Anthony Klumpenhouwer, 25 • Cpl. Matthew McCully, 25 • Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede, 30 • Trooper Darryl Caswell, 25 • Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane, 26 • Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, 22 • Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, 30 • Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe, 27 • Master Cpl. Colin Bason, 28 • Cpl. Cole Bartsch, 23 • Pte. Lane Watkins, 20 • Cpl. Jordan Anderson, 25 • Capt. Jefferson Francis, 37 • Pte Simon Longtin, 23 • Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43 • Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34 • Major Raymond Ruckpaul, 42 • Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, 24 • Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, 28 • Pte. Michel Levesque, 25 • Gunner Jonathan Dion, 27 • Cpl. Paul Davis, 28 • Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson, 30 • Pte. Robert Costall, 22 • Cpl. Matthew Dinning, 23 • Bombardier Myles Mansell, 25 • Cpl. Randy Payne, 32 • Lieut. William Turner, 45 • Capt. Nichola Goddard, 26 • Cpl. Anthony Boneca, 21 • Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44 • Cpl. Jason Warren, 29 • Pte. Kevin Dallaire, 22 • Sgt. Vaughan Ingram, 35 • Cpl. Bryce Keller, 27 8 Cpl. Christopher Reid, 34 • Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt, 31 • Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, 33 • Cpl. Andrew Eykelenboom, 23 • Cpl. David Braun, 27 • Pte. William Cushley, 21 • Warrant Officer Frank Mellish, 38 • Warrant Officer Richard Nolan, 39 • Sgt. Shane Stachnik, 30 • Pte. Mark Anthony Graham, 33 • Cpl. Glen Arnold, 32 • Pte. David Byers, 22 • Cpl. Shane Keating, 30 • Cpl. Keith Morley, 30 • Pte. Josh Klukie, 23 • Sgt. Craig Gillam, 40 • Cpl. Robert Mitchell, 32 • Trooper Mark Wilson, 39 • Sgt. Darcy Tedford, 32 • Pte. Blake Williamson, 23 • Chief Warrant Officer Robert Girouard, 46 • Cpl. Albert Storm, 36 • Pte. Braun Woodfield, 24 • Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 26 • Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, 29 • Sgt. Robert Short, 42 • Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24 • Pte. Richard Green, 21 • Sgt. Marc Leger, 29 • Pte. Nathan Smith, 26 • Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, 23 • Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, 25 • Warrant Officer Robert Wilson, 37 • Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, 26 • Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin, 26 • Pte. Justin Peter Jones, 21 • Private Michael Freeman, 28 • Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge, 45 • Sgt. Gregory John Kruse, 40 • Trooper Brian Richard Good, 42 • Sapper Sean Greenfield, 25 • Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, 38 • Cpl. Dany Fortin, 29 • Cpl. Kenneth O’Quinn, 25 • Trooper Marc Diab, 22 • Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, 28 • Cpl. Tyler Crooks, 24 • Trooper Jack Bouthillier, 20 • Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes, 22 • Trooper Karine Blais, 21 • Major Michelle Mendes, 30 • Private Alexandre Péloquin, 20 • Corporal Martin Dubé, 35 • Corporal Nicholas Bulger, 30 • Master Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, 28 • Master Corporal Pat Audet, 38 • Corporal Martin Joannette, 25 • Private Sébastien Courcy, 26 • Corporal Christian Bobbitt, 23 • Sapper Matthieu Allard, 21 • Major Yannick Pépin, 36 • Corporal Jean-Francois Drouin, 31 • Private Patrick Lormand, 21 • Private Jonathan Couturier, 23 • Lieutenant Justin Garrett Boyes, 26 • Sapper Steven Marshall, 24 • Lieutenant Andrew Nuttal, 30 • Sergeant George Miok, 28 • Corporal Zachery McCormack, 21 • Private Garrett William Chidley, 21 • Sergeant Kirk Taylor, 28 • Sergeant John Wayne Fraught, 44 • Corporal Joshua Caleb Baker, 24 • Corporal Darren James Fitzpatrick, 21 • Private Tyler William Todd, 26 • Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake, 37 • Private Kevin Thomas McKay, 24 • Colonel Geoff Parker, 42 • Trooper Larry Rudd, 26 • Sergeant Martin Goudreault, 35 • Sergeant James MacNeil, 28 • Master Corporal Kristal Giesebrecht, 34 • Private Andrew Miller, 21 • Sapper Brian Collier, 24 • Corporal Brian Pinksen, 21 • Corporal Steve Martin, 24 • Corporal Yannick Scherrer, 24 • Bombardier Karl Manning, 31 • Master Corporal Francis Roy, 31 • Master Corporal Byron Greff, 26

Rest easy.