National Day of Honour to be Marked in P.G.
Prince George, B.C.- Friday, May 9th has been declared a “National Day of Honour” to officially mark the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.
Over the 12 years Canadian troops served in Afghanistan, 158 would die, among those who made the ultimate sacrifice were two from Prince George.
25 year old Corporal Matthew McCully died May 25th, 2007. His father resides in Prince George.
Then in March of 2010, Corporal Darren James Fitzpatrick would be critically injured in Afghanistan. He would later succumb to those injuries. Darren had grown up in Prince George and was a graduate of Kelly Road Secondary School.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 43, is planning a small ceremony today to coincide with the events set for Ottawa, the focal point of the national ceremonies.
“We will have a gathering at the cenotaph around 10:15” says John Scott , the Service Provider for Branch 43. “What we’re planning on is we’re going to have a balloon release for each veteran, and a colour party. It will be a short ceremony this year, we just didn’t have much time to pull together all the people we normally would.”
The Local Legion is not the only one caught off guard by this event, in fact, the Prime Minister has been criticized by some for the short notice as he announced the National Day of Honour just 7 weeks ahead of time.
The local ceremony will be timed to coincide with the national events in Ottawa. Culminating with 2 minutes of silence at 10:30 am (PST).
The Ottawa events include a static display of military equipment and services used in Afghanistan, a parade involving hundreds of Afghanistan veterans both military and civilian. There will be a fly by of aircraft used during the course of the conflict, a 21 gun salute, and then, at 10:30 am (PST) a full 2 minutes of silence.
National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have established a website where people can leave messages for those who served.
Now that the Afghan mission is officially over, John Scott says the names of the two young Prince George men who died in that conflict, can officially be engraved on the cenotaph in Prince George, “I know the plans are in motion to do that.”
Comments
It should be a “national day of embarrassment”
Canadian troops should have never been sent to die in a country where there was never a distinct mission or goals. Sad sad sad.
I don’t think the Afghan mission was an embarrassment. Far from it. Against all odds they even had a successful national vote on their own recently with a higher female turnout then we have here in Canada.
Lets face it our soldiers went to the toughest place on the planet amid the fiercest band of terrorists in the world and held their own establishing a semblance of civilization. It was a long ugly mission at a high cost, but the objective was achieved of building a nation that can police within its boarders to prevent the country becoming an open training ground for terrorists… and Canada played a lead role throughout the war from start to finish. It was a just war unlike and not to be confused with Iraq.
Sure glad its officially over though.
What could be a national embarrassment is the Harper government policy in Ukraine?
Supporting a violent coup that deposes of a democratically elected government replaced by a band of fascists and banksters out to loot the country and impose its will on the Russian minorities. Harper is keen to be a belligerent in what could easily lead to a nasty civil war at best, and a nuclear world war at worst. People dieing every day and homes made unsafe from the escalation of events in that part of the world.
Canada should have insisted on due process of the electoral system, and withheld any endorsements of an unelected government until it received democratic legitimacy. Instead acting as a mediator to ensure minority rights were protected in both language, political freedom, and security… but we are on record now as a belligerent flaming partisan extremists to war and that I think is shameful for a country with Canada’s rich history of contributing to honest global dialog and security.
Weather or not you agree with our troops having been to Afghanistan, this is about mourning the brave people who did go, and did serve, and did lose their lives.
To the McCully, and the Fitzpatrick families, thank you for your sons. I am so sorry for your losses. I will remember.
Canada had to live up to the agreed to terms and requirements for mutual assistance, being a member of NATO.
Just yesterday the news reported that the only area that is safe and under the control of the central government is the one surrounding Kabul.
To the families of those who lost their lives, my condolences and admiration that they served their country Canada honourably.
Over the 12 years Canadian troops served in Afghanistan, 158 would die,
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In Korea 517 would die over a three year period and we achieved a full democracy for South Korea. So what were they doing in Afghanistan for the twelve years?
Cheers
The failure of the mission in Afghanistan was due to ignoring the multi-ethnic Afghan society. Canada should have pushed for federalism in Afghanistan as a precondition to participate in that mission and the Pashto speakers in the east should have been granted self-rule, similar to Quebec.
Unfortunately Harper government is agitating towards a civil war in Ukraine instead of pushing for more self-rule for the Russians in East of Ukraine and channeling the expertise of Ukrainian Canadians(e.g. in Alb/Man/Sas)to resolve the conflict. The Ukraine conflict, if mishandled, will have much wider security implications for Europe, NATO countries (and the world) than Afghan conflict and EU/NATO’s aggressive push eastward has backfired.
As far as the Ukraine situation goes, the Harper Government’s motives and actions are sleazy!
âThe Prime Minister has singled out the prospect of sanctions against Russiaâs energy industry, which would likely entail curtailing the ability of Canadians â and those in other G7 countries â from doing petroleum-related business with Russians.â
Yup, thatâs our Prime Minister of Alberta; speaking up in the best interests of Big Oil & Gas. Hmm⦠are there any other ways of making money and profit for Tar Sands Oil & Gas Corporations from the civil unrest in the Ukraine?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/harper-warns-of-pain-from-sanctions-on-russia/article17674826/
Corporal Matthew McCully was not from Prince George – he would be properly commemorated on the cenotaph of his hometown. The two new names on the cenotaph are the one Prince George son who died as a result of injuries in Afghanistan, Corporal Darren James Fitzpatrick, and one who died as a result of injuries (PTSD) received in Bosnia – Corporal Matters.
As for observing a National Day of Honour for our Afganistan soldiers who died on the battle field, good for them, they deserve all the recognition we can bestow upon them.
Too bad this federal government prefers to take the cheap and easy, one day a year symbolic recognition approach for our veteran soldiers, rather than fully supporting them through the offer of descent PTSD counselling and support services, and a raise rather than cuts to their pensions!
Actions speak louder than words Mr. Harper!
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