World

Repatriation Ceremony and Highway of Heroes Live 2pm ET

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | January 3, 2010 at 06:20 am

2134 views | 43 Recommendations | 3 comments

Last Wednesday, December 30th, marked the bloodiest day for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan in two and a half years.

A convoy, part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, was on a routine patrol in Kandahar City when a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hit one of the vehicles. The blast killed four Canadian soldiers and one journalist. Five others were injured.

Sgt. George Miok, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, Cpl. Zachery McCormack, and Pte. Garrett William Chidley and Michelle Lang, a journalist on assignment from the Calgary Herald were identified as those killed in the blast.

They embarked on their final trip back to Canada after a Ramp Ceremony at Kandahar Airfield, where they were honoured by their comrades in arms. This has been the tradition of the Canadian Forces since Canada's first Afghanistan casualties in 2002.

The cargo airplane is expected to arrive in Trenton, Ontario at 2 p.m and the caskets with the fallen heroes will be unloaded in a, now traditional, repatriation ceremony. Family Members, General Walt Natynczyk , Chief of Defence Staff and Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence will partake in the ceremony.

Once the caskets have been offloaded and transferred to their respective hearse, they will embark on their journey to the Provincial Medical Examiner before being released to the families and their final resting place.

The journey from Trenton will take them down the Highway of Heroes, where 1000s are expected to line the bridges and overpasses. Fire Fighters and Law Enforcement will also pay their respects.

Canadian Media has now, and has in the past, given excellent coverage, honouring Canadians killed in Afghanistan both locally and nationally. My hat is off to them. This repatriation ceremony will be unlike any other before, for the first time a civilian, Michelle Lang, will be part of the ceremony. The Repatriation Ceremony will be broadcast live on all three Canadian Major Networks at 2 pm ET.

The handling of these events by our media, although tragic, makes this old soldiers' heart proud. May they rest in peace and may their sacrifice never be forgotten. Lest we forget.

Thousands of people are expected to line bridges and overpasses on Ontario's Highway of Heroes Sunday to pay respects to four soldiers killed in Afghanistan this week, as well as a Canadian journalist who died with them.

Sgt. George Miok, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, Cpl. Zachery McCormack, and Pte. Garrett William Chidley were killed by an improvised explosive device four kilometres south of Kandahar on Thursday. Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang was embedded with the group and also died in the incident.

Their remains are scheduled to arrive at CFB Trenton at 2 p.m. Sunday, where the families of all four soldiers and Lang will be on hand for the ceremony.

2 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Barry ORegan

at 08:03 on January 3rd, 2010

What a way to start the new year

anarkissed

at 11:16 on January 3rd, 2010

War has sure changed! Even in the sixties the dead soldiers came home by the truckload. As terrible as war is, it's good we are having so few casualties that less than a half dozen is a massive amount. I hope the locals see similar reductions in losses from the fighting!