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Canada‘s casualties honoured in Kabul
Frances Bula, CanWest News Service
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Seven Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan were remembered in a simple ceremony this Easter weekend at the Christian cemetery here.
Kabul‘s normally blue skies clouded over briefly during the service and rain fell quietly on the leaves in the small cemetery as the Roman Catholic bishop for the Canadian Forces, the Canadian commander of international forces, and the Canadian ambassador talked about the importance of remembering the cause for which the seven died.
"They weren‘t extraordinary, they weren‘t superheroes like those in the comic books. In fact, to call them that would be to dishonour them," said Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier, who commands the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul.
Canadian Ambassador Chris Alexander said the memorial created for them "is a tribute to the meaning of their lives and our work."
The Canadian memorial dedicated Good Friday consists of a section of white wall facing the cemetery entrance with two plaques listing the names of the seven who died, along with a Canadian Maple Leaf in black on a gray background.
The seven Canadians who have died since international forces went to war against the Taliban government in October 2001 include four men who were killed when they were hit by a bomb from an American fighter jet in April 2002 -- Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Ricky Green, Sgt. Marc Leger, and Pte. Nathan Smith -- two who were killed by a landmine explosion in October 2003, Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger and Sgt. Robert Alan Short, and Cpl. Jamie Murphy, who died this January after a suicide bomber threw himself on Murphy‘s jeep as it slowed down for a rough patch in the road.
All of those killed, except Short, were under 30.
It is now the third group memorial in the cemetery, with a British memorial on the western wall and an ISAF memorial on the eastern wall.
The cemetery, which is 150 years old, is home to the graves of a wide range of foreigners who have died in Afghanistan, from British civil servants to American engineers to Danish explorers.
The ceremony attracted about 60 people. Heather Bellamy of Terrace, B.C., works for an aid organization a short distance from where Murphy was killed.
"I heard the explosion of that suicide bomber. It hit close to home," said Bellamy, who is helping Afghans rebuild gardens.
The ceremony was part of a series of services and activities to help the 2,100 troops here celebrate Easter. Easter masses were held Saturday and early today at the two camps.
Frances Bula, CanWest News Service
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Seven Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan were remembered in a simple ceremony this Easter weekend at the Christian cemetery here.
Kabul‘s normally blue skies clouded over briefly during the service and rain fell quietly on the leaves in the small cemetery as the Roman Catholic bishop for the Canadian Forces, the Canadian commander of international forces, and the Canadian ambassador talked about the importance of remembering the cause for which the seven died.
"They weren‘t extraordinary, they weren‘t superheroes like those in the comic books. In fact, to call them that would be to dishonour them," said Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier, who commands the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul.
Canadian Ambassador Chris Alexander said the memorial created for them "is a tribute to the meaning of their lives and our work."
The Canadian memorial dedicated Good Friday consists of a section of white wall facing the cemetery entrance with two plaques listing the names of the seven who died, along with a Canadian Maple Leaf in black on a gray background.
The seven Canadians who have died since international forces went to war against the Taliban government in October 2001 include four men who were killed when they were hit by a bomb from an American fighter jet in April 2002 -- Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Ricky Green, Sgt. Marc Leger, and Pte. Nathan Smith -- two who were killed by a landmine explosion in October 2003, Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger and Sgt. Robert Alan Short, and Cpl. Jamie Murphy, who died this January after a suicide bomber threw himself on Murphy‘s jeep as it slowed down for a rough patch in the road.
All of those killed, except Short, were under 30.
It is now the third group memorial in the cemetery, with a British memorial on the western wall and an ISAF memorial on the eastern wall.
The cemetery, which is 150 years old, is home to the graves of a wide range of foreigners who have died in Afghanistan, from British civil servants to American engineers to Danish explorers.
The ceremony attracted about 60 people. Heather Bellamy of Terrace, B.C., works for an aid organization a short distance from where Murphy was killed.
"I heard the explosion of that suicide bomber. It hit close to home," said Bellamy, who is helping Afghans rebuild gardens.
The ceremony was part of a series of services and activities to help the 2,100 troops here celebrate Easter. Easter masses were held Saturday and early today at the two camps.
