Memorial to those felled in Afghanistan visits St. John's
The tone was sombre and reverent during a ceremony in St. John's Friday morning to welcome a touring exhibit that commemorates the service and sacrifice of Canadians in Afghanistan.
But as military personnel, families of the fallen and dignitaries gathered in the lobby of Confederation Building to open the Afghanistan Memorial Vigil, the shock of two deadly attacks on Canadian soil in recent days was also top-of-mind.
Those attacks, one in St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., on Monday and a second on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, resulted in the deaths of two Canadian soldiers, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. Both attackers were also killed.
The attacks are a reminder that continued sacrifices are required to protect our values and freedoms, said Premier Paul Davis.
"They struck at the very heart and soul of our democracy and our freedom. But rather than stop us, they have only served to remind us why the sacrifices of those who defend us are so very important," Davis stated.
The Vigil, meanwhile, is comprised of a set of 190-plus plaques commemorating those whose lives were lost during the conflict, which was launched following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Not forgotten
Among those spotlighted in the exhibit are 13 personnel from this province, including Sgt. Vaughan Ingram from Burgeo, who was killed in August 2006.
His 13-year-old daughter, Brooke Ingram, laid a wreath at the exhibit. She was just five when her father died, but says she thinks of him daily.
"He was brave and courageous and he loved hunting and fishing," Brooke told CBC News.
Brooke first saw the exhibit when it was launched in Ottawa in May, and said it means a lot to her and her family to know the sacrifices of those who died have not been forgotten.
She encouraged members of the public to visit the exhibit, which is open until Monday evening at 9 p.m.
"I hope they take time to just remember them and appreciate what they did for us," she said.
The loss of war
The plaques were once part of a cenotaph set up at the Kandahar airfield, which was the base for the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
Kandahar is a place quite familiar to Sgt. Justin Eddison of Corner Brook, who served in Afghanistan in 2010.
Eddison, a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, took part part in Friday's ceremony, and experienced up close the dangers of war.
His friend, Cpl. Brian Pinksen, was killed in action on Aug. 22, 2010, and Eddison accompanied his body back to Canada.
He said the exhibit is a powerful illustration of the sacrifices made during war.
"It brings home the reality of the sacrifices that were made," he said.
40,000 in Afghanistan
Some 40,000 Canadian military personnel served in Afghanistan, the largest number to serve in a combat zone since the Second World War.
The Vigil is a project of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence, and is the military's way of saying those who died will never be forgotten, said Brig.-Gen. Nicolas Eldaoud, commander of the 5th Canadian Division.
The plaques include information on 158 Canadian Forces personnel, a Canadian diplomat, a Department of National Defence contractor, a Canadian journalist and more than 40 members of the United States military who were under Canadian command during operations in Afghanistan.
The Vigil returns to Ottawa next week.
