Cpl. Michael Starker

Cpl. Michael Starker was a medic. He died while extending a hand to Afghans. He died while touching the lives of Afghans in the most giving way possible.

But, Cpl. Michael Starker did much more ... he died while on a mission that he was not bound by duty to partake in, because Cpl. Michael Starker was a reservist. What that means is that he had to go out of his way to volunteer for service in Afghanistan. He had to make the decision to leave his home and family behind, and enter an incredibly dangerous environment that he knew perfectly well might claim his life. And in the end, it did.

Many in Canada can be forgiven if they fail to comprehend, or even recoil, from individuals like Cpl. Michael Starker. What, with the whole culture driven by a decadent focus on self, it's small wonder that the Michael Starkers of this world sometimes seem like aliens. But that is precisely why we honor them and set them apart. They are true Canadian heroes.

The best we can do for them and their loved ones, is to promise to never forget.

Canadian Heroes Tribute

Why

Another Family Mourns

Pte. Terry John Street:

And there you have it, another Canadian family loses a cherished member and the greater military family at Shilo takes another hit.

I've written so much on these pages about our lost heroes. Every time, I wonder what I'd say if it was my own son who'd been killed. He'll be in Afghanistan within a year if things don't change, so I will soon become one of the waiting parents ... hoping that men in uniform don't show up at my door.

I know that that's what happened with Pte. Streets family ... and I know that they've now been plunged into some of their darkest days ... and most of us can't even be there to comfort them.

If Pte. Street was anything like my son, I know that he was doing exactly what he wanted to do. I know that he was in Afghanistan for his mates ... for his country ... for Afghans ... and for himself. I know, that he had no misconceptions of the risks he was taking. Other than that, I know little of him.

Yet, from the tiny bit I know, he is my hero now ... as he should be yours. He's joined the thousands of Canadian soldiers who have sacrificed for freedom.

In a day and age when certain elements in our society would diminish Pte. Street's sacrifice, or use it for petty political ends ... it is our duty to hold our heroes high.

So, on these pages we honour Pte. Terry John Street and we will never forget his heroism.

Star of Military Valour

l

Sgt. Jason Boyes

Shilo has had more than its share of sorrow.

I visited my son there last summer when the workup for Afghanistan was underway. The yellow ribbons stretching down the highway were telling ... telling of a community that had seen its share of sacrifice ... and now Shilo has lost another.

Sgt. Jason Boyes was from Shilo, and he was part of the "pointy end" ... that very small group of soldiers who inject their very bodies into the landscape of Afghanistan. Speaking from experience, I know he would've been envied and looked up to by those who wanted to, but never got the privilege, of walking the trails of Afghanistan. Sgt. Boyes would've been incredibly proud of his good fortune to serve in this way and he would've considered himself lucky.

Yet, many, if not most, of Canadians would wonder at the fact that there are men and women in our midst who count such dangerous assignments a privilege. Some even recoil at the thought, perhaps because it makes their own lives seem so mundane or self-centered. Whatever the case, Sgt. Jason Boyes was cut from a different cloth than most ... simply because he was a volunteer for dangerous things.

So, we add Sgt. Jason Boyes to our list of heroes ... we will never forget him ... we will offer our condolences to his family and loved ones ... but we will never pity him. To do so, would be to destroy what he stood for and to cast doubt on his cause. After all, Sgt. Jason Boyes' cause is ours.

More from CTV

Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet

At the time of this writing, the death of Bombardier Jeremie Quellet was shrouded in secrecy. What we know, is that he was serving us in Afghanistan, where he lost his life.

Here are the words of Maj. Pierre Bergeron:

"There are deaths that are easier than others to understand and accept; then there are deaths that leave us with many questions, and this may be the case for some of us," he said.

"But today is not the day for questions and answers, but rather a time to grieve with each other and to let the family know that we care and share their loss."

What I'm reminded of, is the fact that our heroes bring all of their hopes, fears, and difficulties with them when they serve in Afghanistan. It's not as if life's regular problems cease ... and many must deal with the loves and anxieties that follow them all the way to the war zone. It is this fact, that makes our men and women all the more heroic.

Bombardier Ouellet, we thank you for your service and like those who have passed before you ... we will never forget you.

Trooper Michael Y. Hayakaze

With his tour just about complete, Trooper Michael Y. Hayakaze must've been looking forward to being home.

Like all soldiers, he felt those last days getting longer ... and no doubt the tension growing. It's inevitable as the days of the tour run out ... as that long flight out is just around the corner.

Trooper Michael Y. Hayakaze won't be coming home. He was our 79th casualty and now his family must pick up the pieces.

Let's never forget what it takes to be a soldier on tour in Afghanistan. Trooper Michael Y. Hayakaze was doing the job he chose ... he was experiencing life to its fullest. Very few of us have the courage, or the opportunity, to see danger over the next hill ... then run to it. Only in our imaginations can we guess if we'd have what it takes to persevere. Few of us ever have the chance to protect the innocent by pursuing the guilty.

Finally, let's be reminded to never pity our soldier heroes, as nothing could be more insulting. Honour them, never forget them, and stand up for them here at home.

Last Journey Home

Sapper Etienne Gonthier

While the country gets ready to extend the mission to Afghanistan, the mission ends tragically for yet another Canadian and his family.

Sapper Etienne Gonthier was killed by a road side bomb ... the same way that most of our heroes are being killed at this point in the conflict. Can we expect more? Of course. Will they quit volunteering ... of course not?

That's what sets them apart from us ... while most recoil or flee ... our heroes rush in.

We remember Etienne Gonthier and his family, but, we ask that you never pity Sapper Etienne Gonthier ... he was doing what he wanted to do, he was living the life "he" chose ... and that was a life of risks in order to bring liberty to a suffering world.

Thank you Etienne.

The Long Road Ahead

The battle for Afghanistan has taken its inevitable path ... the enemy has not been able to defeat us face to face, so now he will use hidden explosive devices to peck away at our will. Canadians will die as a result, and the more they get out and about and improve the lives of Afghans, the more they will be exposed.

One would think that the IED war would dissuade Canuck warriors, that they'd recoil from a fight where they often can't even shoot back. Yet, that's not the case.

My son who is in the CF reports to me that those wishing to get over to Afghanistan far outnumber those who will actually serve there. Canadian soldiers are lined up waiting for their turn ... waiting to do their part.

So it is that we face once again the death of one of our best. Like the others, he was doing the job he wanted to do ... he was exactly where he wanted to be ... he was a volunteer:

A 26-year-old Canadian soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday when his Coyote armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb. One other soldier was injured in the blast.Trooper Richard Renaud, of Alma, Que., died in the attack at about 7:15 a.m. local time.

I want to remind our readers that there are two things that soldiers detest ... perhaps more than anything else ... and that is to be treated as either victims or felons.

So let's never lose sight of this ... let us honour them ... remember them ... support them ... but never pitty them or recoil from them. They are doing the very dirty work of maintaining a civilized world, and sometimes it costs them their all.

But, they go in with eyes wide open as true volunteers; no wonder then that we honour them.

Freedom and Sacrifice

Classic quotes from those who knew freedom, sacrifice, and the unavoidable union of the two.

“Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war.”

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”

Thucydides(460-404 BC) – Pioneering Athenian historian and general

"The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other mens lives.”

“Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.”

Pericles(495-429 BC) – Statesman and general of Athens

"The valiant profit more their country than the finest, cleverest speakers."

"Courage is what preserves our liberty, safety, life, and our homes and parents, our country and children. Courage comprises all things.”

Titus Maccius Plautus(254-184 BC) – Playwright and soldier of the Roman Republic

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower(1890-1969) – Former President of the United States and general

“I knew why I felt at home. The spirit of freedom was hovering over that play yard as it did all over France at that time. A country was free again.”

Audie Murphy(1921-1974) – American soldier (WWII) and actor

Two More

We often forget that many Canadians have lost their lives in Afghanistan in accidents.

Military operations are fraught with danger, especially when equipment is forced to negotiate rough terrain. In this case we lost two more heroes who were simply doing our bidding and representing us in what often must seem like a god-forsaken land.

Yet, they have brought hope and half a chance to some of the poorest people on this planet.

Rest in peace, Cpl. Eric Labbe and Warrant Officer Hani Massouh.

Gunner Jonathan Dion

"We will not forget the sacrifice made by Gunner Dion while working to make life better for others," Harper said in a statement released Sunday.

"These Canadian soldiers were working to provide security and help create the conditions needed to improve the lives of the people of Afghanistan."

More

Christie Blatchford: Reinventing the Canadian Soldier

Christie Blatchford, is a Canadian journalist who has spent a lot of time nosing about Afghanistan in the company of Canadian warriors. After hours in the heat and dust with the sweaty and cursing soldiers who call themselves the PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry), Christie wrote a book called Fifteen Days.

“What's the big deal?”, you may think; well, it is a big deal.

It’s been a long time, decades in fact, since Canadians have been involved in what are called offensive military operations … that’s the hunting down and killing or capturing of bad guy by the way. An entire generation, or two, of Canadians have no idea what it’s like to send men to war and have some return in caskets. An entire generation, or two, of Canadians have grown up thinking that only Americans go to war, and that Canadians by and large aren’t a warrior people. An entire generation, or two, of Canadians can’t comprehend Canadians hunting down and killing enemies.

Christie Blatchford sets the record straight in what can best be described as a blunt, in your face, description of Canadians at War in Afghanistan. And, she’s done it only as a woman could. Let me explain.

Were a man to write the story, he would be sure to lay out in geographic and technical terms a global view of the stratagems involved. Then, he’d describe, once again in geographical and technical terms, the battles, peppered with firsthand accounts in what we call “anecdotal” tales. It’s the way military history is written … it’s the way most writers do it … it’s the rule.

Christie doesn’t do that … she just lays out what she’s been told … often with spotty technical detail, often with crude or hardly comprehendible geographic detail, but with exquisite human substance. She tells it like she heard it … she tells it like they’ve told it to her … and she does it without deleting the “fucks” or tears or ugliness. What you end up with is an accurate, yet sometimes schizophrenic account of what our people have gone through and accomplished.

Christie’s book sets out what soldiers are like … and what it’s like to love soldiers.

Warriors aren’t pretty, they aren’t boy scouts … in fact, they are more like rig-pigs with a brutal job to do and supported by a cast of often nervous handwringing loved ones. Christie delivers a wonderfully unfiltered version of 15 days in the Afghan heat with some of the toughest Canucks walking the earth.

Fifteen Days will become a key contribution to Canadian history. It will become a key work in revealing to Canadians how extraordinary … yet ordinary … our warriors are. It will become a key work in revealing how un-heroic … yet heroic, military families are.

As a supporter of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan I’ve got to get my shot in, so here it is.

I dare anyone to read Fifteen Days, then stand before Canadian warriors who have been there, or stand before their families, and tell them that Canada is wrong-headed in its involvement with Afghanistan … tell them that their services would best be served on the Golan, or in Cypress, or garrisoned here at home. I dare you.

Fifteen Days, by Christie Blatchford, read it.

Two Canadians Fall

Cpl. Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp and Pte. Michel Levesque perished in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan today. Like all the others who have died in this conflict, they were volunteers and no doubt were where they wanted to be. While the majority of people run from a fight, Canadian soldiers run to the sound of the guns. They willingly inject themselves into one of the most hostile places on earth. They do it for a variety of reasons, one of which is a desire to make a positive difference in the world. Those who serve in Quebec do so with an extra burden ... they volunteer with the full knowledge that the vast majority of Quebecors do not support them in the mission and that they toil on in Afghanistan with the support of only a minority of the their fellow Quebecers.

These are truly heroes ... who are grossly misunderstood and unappreciated back home.

CTV has more.

Cpl. Nathan Hornburg

Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, a reservist with the King's Own Calgary Regiment became the 71st Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan Monday as he tried to put a track back on a Leopard tank while under fire.

Here is a statement from his family in Calgary and southern Alberta:

Our Son and Brother, Nathan Hornburg, represented the best of all of us. He represented what all Canadians should strive to be.

As a boy, he was happy growing up in the neighbourhood of Glamorgan in Calgary, and was greatly influenced by the Calgary Waldorf School philosophy of rhythm, reverence, and ritual. But as much as he loved growing up in Calgary, he also loved the land, and was often found spending time with his extended family in Nanton, Alberta, a place to which he felt deeply connected, and in which he became a son to a second community.

Nathan approached life with enthusiasm. As a young man, he never failed to express a strong sense of fair play, leadership, and curiosity. He was well respected by all who knew him, because he was a true friend, always finding the positive in any situation, always offering his strength when the strength of others was failing. In a way, he was the rock people knew they could depend on, that we knew we could depend on. Nathan was his father's best friend, and the best son and brother a person could be.

Continue Reading ...

Canadian Soldier

Canadian Soldier

by: Sgt. M.J. Watts

Do not cry for me,
For I am a Canadian soldier.
Guardian of “The True, North, strong and free”,
Ambassador of the “Red Maple Leaf”.

I know that, what I had of freedom,
All I used or knew,
Is what our father’s
Fought for us long ago.

I did not give
That freedom away or,
Have someone take it away
By force or law.

You hold in your hands
The most precious of gifts.
Freedom to love and express art.
Freedom to be who you want to be.

Freedom is a package deal.
With it comes responsibilities and consequences.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Do not make our sacrifice, one in vain.

I join God knowing,
I fought for my fellow man’s freedom.
My duty complete,
Yours to carry on in memory.

For now my mother is crying,
And criticism of our mission arises.
Question not, but always remember,
For I am a Canadian soldier.

Mercier ; Duchesne

Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne and Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier believed in the mission ... they believed that cilization doesn't come cheap ... that it can't be bought or purchased with rhetoric. They gave their lives for Canadians and Afghans while living what they believed.

In late 2005, blogger and CF member Andrew put into words why civilization so desperately needs men like Master Cpl. Duchesne and Master Warrant Officer Mercier:

The Canadian Forces will most likely not reach their recruitment goals this year. Currently, the forces aren’t facing attrition, but any plans to expand seem impossible at the moment. Unless Canadians in general have a dramatic change of heart, force expansion just isn’t in the cards because not enough people are signing up. At the same time, our small Armed Forces, which are still under-equipped in many areas, face numerous growing challenges.

In Afghanistan, the going is tough, and sure to get tougher. With Islamists just across the boarder posturing and posing and giving every inclination that they want a war, things could yet get very much worse. With funds from Iran and Pakistan available to fanatics, the risk to Canadians is not going away any time soon. A democratic Afghanistan needs our help to shake off its local fanatics, yet global events threaten to engulf the comparatively minor happenstance of tribal Afghanistan and turn it into something much bigger, and much bloodier.

All of this raises the question; what are you willing to give for the cause? Is the cause worth it? Is any cause worth it? Hell, do you even believe in "the cause?" Are you in the 18-30 bracket and have you ever honestly considered joining the military? Would that be too much sacrifice for you? Try this then; what government handouts or percent of your paycheck are you willing to part with in order to ensure that those who fight in your name do so with the deadliest and best possible weapons and equipment in hand? These questions may seem obvious, but I can’t help but feel that few have taken the time to seriously ponder them.

In a recent speech, the incisive Victor Davis Hanson noted that empires do not often fall from squalor, rather they succumb in moments of greatness. He cited Rome as an example, and a prime example it is.

Having weathered a Gallic invasion and re-asserted itself in Italy, Post-Etruscan Rome faced its greatest military adversary, Hannibal, in the second Punic War. As a General, Hannibal was brilliant. While several times fought to a draw, Hannibal succeeded in wiping out numerous Roman armies. Indeed, throughout his long career in warfare, Hannibal suffered only one decisive defeat, but it was that defeat that made the difference. While the strategy and tactics of the battles and war can be minutely discussed, the one vital attribute and advantage that carried the Romans to victory was the same determination that carried them to that final battle with Hannibal, and to every battle preceding it.

Again and again Hannibal proved his dominance on the battlefield by encircling and wiping out entire Roman armies. And again and again, the Romans would rally, reform their armies, and march back to war. The Etruscan-style military organization which the Romans used at the time may seem counterintuitive to us in our modern age. Every male Roman citizen was required to serve, provide his own armor and equipment, and put his life on the line. Truly, it was all for one, and the Romans refused to let defeat on the battlefield translate to defeat in war. At war's end, the Romans had lost nearly every battle and countless lives, but their determination had won the final battle, and the war.

Several centuries later the little city state of Rome had, with that same perseverance, carved out an enormous empire. And yet, the determination of the Romans themselves began to falter. It is said that eventually the great majority of the Roman army wasn’t composed of Romans at all. While the “true Romans” sat in their supreme opulence in Rome and Constantinople, the empire was picked apart by minor barbarian kings; a wide array of relative nobodies compared to Hannibal. By the time of Attila, who was still comparatively a lightweight, the Romans quickly reverted to bribery and appeasement. In the end, the accessions were always proceeded by war, war that the Romans were unwilling to see through.

The parallels to be drawn are obvious. Western civilization has reached levels of wealth and affluence unsurpassed anywhere in history. Yet in our “progressive”
magnificence, we may have lost our will to fight for what we hold dear. To be sure, the pursuit of peace is a most noble undertaking, yet we are often too quick to forget that beyond our boarders are more than a few modern day barbarians who share none of our enlightened outlook. Through training and technology, our soldiers may reign supreme on the battlefield, but our civilization on the whole may have grown vulnerable in its affluence, opulence, progressiveness, and humanistic enlightenment. Cruder, more blunt forces unhindered by these, may now hold the advantage. Through a shortsighted lens it may be difficult, nay impossible, to imagine the fall of our own civilization, yet history's precedent says that it is all too likely.

Which brings us back to the beginning. In a time of urgent crisis what would you give? What’s worth fighting for?

by: Junker

Pte. Simon Longtin

Simon Longtin, 23-year-old private from the Montreal area, was with the Royal 22nd Regiment, the Quebec-based Van Doos.

Longtin is the first member of the regiment to die in Afghanistan and the 67th Canadian military casualty overall since 2002.

From TheStar.com

"If one thing came out of their conversations with him, it is that he was very proud to be with his colleagues in Afghanistan," McLean said. "He died doing what he loved."

A Mother's Statement

Wanda Watkins:

"We don't want any family to experience the terrible pain of losing their son or daughter, but if Canada and NATO abandon the Afghan people, the sacrifices Lane, our family and others have made will be for nothing,'' Watkins said Monday.

"They deserve your respect. In supporting them, you'll make our loss much easier to bear.''

[...]

"But you become a whole lot more attentive when your child is being deployed. We've come to know many of Lane's instructors and military friends and they are the finest young men that you will ever meet,'' she said.

"Every Canadian should be extremely proud of our soldiers. They're well-trained and we can trust them.''

CLICK

The July 4th Six

Nation building in Afghanistan has turned into a battle of will. After last summer, the enemy has learned that facing Canadians in head-on combat is futile. Canucks are simply better equipped, better trained, and more determined. The enemy knows that direct confrontation is useless and spells defeat each time.

So now we will have to deal with a coward’s war ... one where terrorists bomb civilians, p0lice, and soldiers alike ... randomly and indiscriminately. The result for our heroes in Afghanistan will be increased stress as they go about their difficult and complex tasks.

The July 4th Six paid the ultimate price for daring to reshape an emerging nation. They paid the ultimate price for daring to face down a 1400 year old barbarism that threatens to reach far beyond Afghanistan to our very land. They died doing the work that even most of their NATO allies won't do ... and for that we are humbled and forever in debt.

There are very few individuals these days who are willing to set aside our decadent Western lifestyle to go and serve in the dust and danger of far off lands ... most of us are simply too concerned with petty day to day accumulation of pleasure and toys. These six though, were not like us ... they were willing to risk it all, day after day, to bring hope to Afghans and security to us.

Capt. Matt Dawe, Capt. Jefferson Francis, Master Cpl. Colin Bason, Cpl. Jordan Anderson, Cpl. Cole Bartsch and Pte. Lane Watkins are owed our deepest gratitude, and we willingly give it. Today they began the long sad journey home.

Bouzane; Wiebe; Karigiannis

Cpl. Stephen Frederick , 26; Pte. Joel Vincent , 22; and Sgt. Christos died when their ATV was struck by what appears to have been an improvised explosive device. Their death is unique in that they perished while driving a domestic style ATV. This fact, points to how spectacularily successful the Canadian push in the Kandahar region has been. Just last summer this very same area was crawling with Taliban thugs; today our guys can move between FOBs and Outposts on ATVs.

While we can expect the occasional attack such as that which killed these heroes, let's not forget that Canucks in the region are now focused on training their eventual Afghan replacements and on helping the local civilians. It takes a special human to go about an area such as this on ATV or even foot ... back in one's mind is always the understanding that Taliban hanger's-on can strike ... but going about in Armoured vehicles does little to normalize the lives of the locals. At some point our guys have to join in with the Afghan men, women, and children, and be exposed. That's what Canuck heroes do ... that's how you build new countries from scratch ... that's why we are winning.

Let's remember and honour these men by keeping faith in their mission and by never forgetting that conflicts of this sort are more a battle of will than of body-counts.

The Families Speak

"Every since he was a little kid, Joel has said 'I want to be in the army'," Anna Thede told reporters Friday in Edmonton. "There was never any doubt, this job is what Joel chose, this is the job that Joel wanted and he was very proud to be a part of this."

Trooper Darryl Caswell

Soldiers in the combat arms of the Canadian Forces are incredibly proud of their trades, and they wear titles like "trooper" with great enthusiasm. More often than not, it is these individuals who are at the "pointy end" of operations in Afghanistan, and who suffer the greatest number of deaths and injuries.

Once again a member of the Canadian Combat Arms has paid the ultimate price for having the privilege of being "outside the wire". There is no doubt that Trooper Darryl Caswell understood perfectly the risks his trade brought him, and like all those in the combat arms, he accepted them. Like one Canadian Soldier once said, "Part of you wants it ... part of you doesn't". These guys are heroes ... adventurers ... and a rare breed of men who put comrads, the mission, and even Afghans, ahead of themselves.

So it is that another Canadian family grieves, but once again it grieves knowing full well that the loved one lost was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing. In other words, he died pursuing that which he loved; and Canada is grateful.

And, in a strange sort of way, he was among the few so privileged to choose indirectly their way of passing. You see, Trooper Darryl Caswell volunteered to be on dangers path ... and in this way he had more control over the way of his passing than most of us whose end is usually a matter of happenstance.

Trooper Darryl Caswell ... Canadian Hero.

Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede

One of the most thrilling and interesting jobs in any military is that of combat photographer. The job takes the photographer to an incredible number of places and inserts him or her into a great variety of situations. Combat photography in the military in critical in creating a visual record of all that the Canadian Forces do.

Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede was a Combat Photographer, doing his job ... a job he loved, when the helicopter he was in went down taking his life along with the lives of his comrades in arms from several other countries.

Thank You Master Cpl. Priede ... your work will last forever and will become part of the historic culture of the Canadian Forces. Your risks will pay dividends for future Canadians who can share in the historic record you helped produce.

More

Cpl. Matthew McCully

Another Maple Leaf falls.

Cpl. McCully was engaged in operation Hoover and was mentoring Afghan troops so that they can defend their own country. Like so many Canadians before him, Cpl. McCully was assisting others in building a nation and in defending themselves from evil.

Thank You Sir!

A Snowbird Falls

In memory of Capt. Shawn McCaughey, 31

From The Torch:

Missing man

Hush - The silence lingers still
White clouds brush the distant hill
The Snowbirds flown on silent wings
Far from earth bound, tugging strings.

Hush - There lies but one man sleeping
A date with his Maker he is keeping
Though once he raced across the sky, in flight
Radiant, as a star at night.

Hush - He was an airman bold
Who saw the sunset turning gold
Who soared with grace across this land
A brave man, in a brave man's band.

No more in danger shall he tread
No more the sunsets turning red
Though high above our prairie fleece
We know his soul will find its peace.

Hush - The Snowbird's taken flight
Into the great beyond of night
To join his comrades, in the wing
Which flies just for our Heavenly King.

- Peter Walt

Cpl. Benoit Chevalier

No matter when, or where, or how, all of our soldiers are heroes.

Cpl. Benoit Chevalier died in the line of duty, serving Canada and trying to make the world a better place:

A plane crashed in a remote mountainous area of the Sinai desert yesterday, killing half of France's small contingent to a multinational peacekeeping force in Egypt as well as one Canadian peacekeeper.

The Department of National Defence in Ottawa identified the Canadian as Cpl. Benoit Chevalier, an air traffic controller from Three Wing Bagotville in Quebec.

Master Seaman Roxanne LaLonde

Whether in uniform or not; whether in Afghanistan or not; whether in combat or not ... Canadian Forces heroes can be found anywhere, at any time, sacrificing so that others may live. In this case, Master Seaman Roxanne Lalonde gave her life, in vain, but she died doing what our heroes do:

Roxanne LaLonde was on her way home Saturday evening when she saw her friend, Kellie Galipeau, standing in the middle of the road waving her arms and screaming as her 15-year-old son was swept through the frigid waters of the Rideau River.

Without a second thought, she kicked off her sneakers and ran into the water, only to drown while trying to save Grant Galipeau.

That she would risk her life to try to save another didn't surprise her friends and family.

Details

Anthony Klumpenhower

We pay our deepest respects to Anthony Klumpenhower; a special forces Canadian who lost his life in the line of duty in Afghanistan.

Anthony was part of the dark ops, that brand of soldiering that operates in the shadows; often in conditions so secret that the heroism of these men is never told.

Thank you Anthony!