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Remembering CF members lost in Afghanistan

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MCpl Jean-Nicolas Minville
Hello and welcome to another Army News Remembrance month special. I’m MCpl Jean-Nicolas Minville.

MCpl Jean-Nicolas Minville
Unlike most Remembrance Day celebrations in Canada, folks in Fredericton choose a day in October to honour the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers.

MCpl Jean-Nicolas Minville
Sgt Katherine Greer-Hulme has the story.

Soundbite
Singing of O Canada by those in attendance.

Sgt Greer-Hulme
Behind me is the Fredericton Legion where in a few minutes, there will be a parade to commemorate the 152 soldiers that have lost their lives in Afghanistan.

Mr. Jim Little, General Manager, Branch #4, Royal Canadian Legion, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Basically, to celebrate the first anniversary of the unveiling of our monument to recognize those who died in Afghanistan. It was erected in the late summer of last year, 2009 and unveiled officially October 28th, 2009. We weren’t sure when to have another memorial day for them and some of the families approached me saying we’d like to have our own day on the anniversary of the unveiling of the monument so the third Saturday of October of every year now we’ll be having a memorial service for them.

We wondered at first what the impact would be with the families but after we saw the expression of the families, the emotion they showed and the thanks we got, it had a big impact on the area really and on the families. It gave us a chance to show that we too are recognizing the latest conflict the Canadian Army, Canadian Forces have been in and it is to recognize those who have died and to provide support.

The events today, it’s one of the most emotional events that I have ever gone through in my history of the Legion for 15/16 years now. It’s a chance to meet the families, to show that we do care and remember and some of the stories that’s coming back, we see families gathering at the monument throughout the year laying a rose or a boquet of flowers, stepping back bowing their heads and its just, its emotional, very emotional.

I just hope that more and more people from Fredericton and the area or even the Province drops off October of next year, should be around the 16th next year and we will be going through it again, same celebration, same families. We’ve already had three families approach us and say, “make sure you do it next year again,” so we’ll be back next year.

Sgt Greer-Hulme
Families, civilians and soldiers attended today’s moving tribute in Fredericton, New Brunswick for those soldiers that lost their lives in Afghanistan. For Army News in Fredericton, New Brunswick, I’m Sgt Katherine Greer-Hulme.

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