Canada at War across the years: Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial

In honour of our more recent veterans, I wanted to feature photos of the Afghani

My late father's graduating class, 1940.
He's top right.

stan Repatriation Memorial, in Trenton, Ontario. We visited in later November, 2012. It was officially opened on Nov. 10th, 2012. Last Sunday, Nov. 9th, there was a ceremony there for Remembrance Day. Mayor John Williams said the horrific murders of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent is a 'reminder of the unending sacrifice being made by our Canadian Forces both home and abroad.'

He said the Afghanistan monument is a symbol of the 158 Canadians killed in that conflict, as well as the hundreds of thousands killed during Canada’s involvement in other conflicts such as the Great War.

The memorial is close to where repatriation ceremonies take place at the beginning of the fallen soldiers’ journey along the Highway of Heroes, from Trenton to Toronto. I think we owe it to all of our veterans, to show dignity and respect for those who survived and come home, possibly beaten and bruised: socially, emotionally or physically.

WW II soldiers - from my late mother's album

Peacekeepers

Our soldiers have served in so many places around the world: from WW I (July 1914 -  Nov. 1918),  WW II (1939 - 1945), the Korean War (1945 - 1952),the South African War (1950 - 1953), and the Gulf War (Aug 1990 - Fe.b 1991). We are famous for our peacekeeping operations beginning in 1956, in Cyprus, Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti. About 130 Canadian personnel have died in peace missions in foreign lands.  To date, over 125,000 Canadians have served in close to 50 UN missions.

National War Memorial Ottawa

Today, they are rededicating the National War Memorial in Ottawa, with Princess Anne in
attendance. The inscription, In Service to Canada / Au service du Canada, will be added to the Memorial to formally recognize all Canadians who served in the past, who serve today, and who will serve in the future. The Memorial will also be inscribed with the dates of the Afghanistan mission and the South African War.

Here is the list of fallen Canadian soldiers lost since 2002. We have a Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM).

WW II from my mother's collection

The names in the CVWM are the same names contained in the Books of Remembrance which records those who have died in battle or as a result of their injuries from battle. The CVWM provides information about each individual’s gravesite, any memorials and other information.