As a nation we remember our fallen soldiers and veterans who fought in combat on Nov. 11., but what about all those who lost their lives on Canadian soil in non-combat situations? An annnual vigil will be held at the cenotaph in Cobble Hill on Oct. 22 to honour Canadian military personnel like Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Military Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent who were both senselessly attacked at home in Canada.
In 2014, Cirillo was gunned down while guarding the Canadian National War Memorial, while Vincent died a few days prior after being struck in a hit-and-run targeted incident. Since 2014, retired fellow local Canadian military personnelRobert Collins and James Baird have stood vigil at Cobble Hill’s cenotaph to pay tribute.
“Every year, we stand honour guard with an honour board for Patrice Vincent and Nathan Cirillo,” said Baird. “We also build an honour board for all those lost in the past year. This year, there will be an honor board for Capt. David Domagala, and Capt. Marc Larouche, who we lost in the helicopter crash north of Ottawa. There will be a second honour board for Const. Rick O’Brien, who was shot dead serving a warrant in Coquitlam.”
The vigil will takes place from 6:36 a.m. on Oct. 22 until 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 23. This specific time frame was chosen to recognize the time and date that Cirillo was shot at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2014.
To further recognize and honour all Canadian military personnel who lost their lives in non-combat scenarios MP Alistair MacGregor has presented a Private Member’s Bill (C-333) moving that: Oct. 22 will be declared ‘Peacetime Service and Sacrifice Memorial Day.’ To date, the bill has passed First Reading.
Spanning the decade from 2001 to 2011 Canada lost 157 service personnel in combat in Afghanistan.
This vigil is not just to remember Cirillo and Vincent but all 2,521 military service personnel who have lost thier lives on Canadian soil since 1914 for doing jobs they volunteered for. This includes those who deaths were a result of PTSD.
READ MORE: Helicopter flyby to join Cobble Hill cenotaph vigil Friday morning
“In 2021, Bob and I commissioned a memorial wall, containing the names, ranks, units, and year of passing for all 2,521 — the wall consists of 17 panels, and surrounds the cenotaph at the formal ceremony,” said Baird. “We also created a ‘Book of Remembrance’ which gives all of the same information. It is protected in a locked, glassed-in display cabinet, placed at the entrance of the Malahat Legion. Bob and I have added a special candle lighting ceremony in which 259 candles will lit to honour the 259 service personnel who have lost their battle with PTSD, here on Canadian soil, between 2004-2023.
Those planning to attend this year are asked to arrive by 10:30 a.m. as the candle lighting ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. To advise you will be attending or to accept a role in the candle lighting ceremony, contact James Baird at a.james.baird100@gmail.com or Robert Collins at pow@shaw.ca. The base commander of HMCS Naden, Capt. (N) Whiteside, and his base chief, CPO1 Frisby, as well as Commanding Officer of Air Component Coord Element, Pacific, LCol. Doyle, CD, 443 Sqn Honorary Colonel Col Deschamps, CD, and CWO Harper, MMM, CD, will all be in attendance this year to light candles, and lay a wreath.