Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca - LSSR - 09 July 2006
- Thread starter HollywoodHitman
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As you'll no doubt recall, Cpl Boneca was the young Reservist from the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment in Thunder Bay, ON, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in July. Just a few thoughts about him from this past Saturday...
On November 11, his mother was one of two Memorial (Silver) Cross Mothers who laid wreaths on the Cenotaph at Waverly Park in Thunder Bay.
His Section, 32C (who had taken to calling themselves three-two-casual) was sent by their battalion to Thunder Bay for November 11. They spent the night of the 10th with Boneca's mom and dad, drinking home-made Portugese wine...lots, I'm told, of home-made Portugese wine. They were on parade on the 11th, and then went back to the Boneca's that night for a huge dinner (washed down with, I'm sure, lots of home-made Portugese wine). I was struck, as I talked to these remarkable young men, by their maturity, their professionalism...and their absolute dedication to Tony Boneca. They called him their little brother.
Incidentally, some here may remember the controversy surrounding comments by Boneca's girl-friend, Megan DeCorte, immediately following his death. She was at the dinner as well, spending time and remembering Tony with the soldiers of 32 Casual.
The Regiment went, en masse, to Cpl Boneca's grave after the Remembrance Day ceremonies. 32 Casual was there as well. Boneca's buddies shared a flask of something strong, and tipped a bit onto his grave. In a semi-circle, the Regiment and its comrades listened to words of comfort from the Padre, then, individually and in pairs or threes, saluted "T-Bone" Boneca and laid their poppies (red ones) on his grave. It was freezing cold and, because of a logistics mix-up, the bus that had carried the troops to the cemetary had left. Those of use with cars packed as many cold soldiers as we could into our vehicles, cranked up the heat and transported the entire kit-and-kaboodle back to the Armoury.
Back in the WOs and Sgts Mess, 32 Casual presented the Regiment with Boneca's helmet. It had been pulled off his head and tossed aside after he was hit and was being given first aid. Forgotten, it remained in the mud-walled compound while the place was later saturated with grenades and, subsequently, Hellfire missiles and Apache cannon fire. Later, 32 Casual recovered it, kept it (they were supposed to turn it into the CQ), and then decided to donate it to the Lake Sups as a memorial to "T-Bone". The helmet is intact, but looks like someone took a blow-torch to it. Encased in glass and accompanied by a picture of Cpl Boneca, it now has a place of prominence at the front of the Thunder Bay Armoury.
Our troops did not forget Thunder Bay's other two recent casualties on this day. Pte Josh Klukie and Pte Robert Costall, both Reg F, were both from Thunder Bay. A Remembrance Table set up in the Sgts Mess memorialized all three of these men, Thunder Bay's lost sons.
I shall never forget 32 Casual, nor the PPCLI decision to send them to Thunder Bay for this day. Things like this are why soldiers are soldiers.
On November 11, his mother was one of two Memorial (Silver) Cross Mothers who laid wreaths on the Cenotaph at Waverly Park in Thunder Bay.
His Section, 32C (who had taken to calling themselves three-two-casual) was sent by their battalion to Thunder Bay for November 11. They spent the night of the 10th with Boneca's mom and dad, drinking home-made Portugese wine...lots, I'm told, of home-made Portugese wine. They were on parade on the 11th, and then went back to the Boneca's that night for a huge dinner (washed down with, I'm sure, lots of home-made Portugese wine). I was struck, as I talked to these remarkable young men, by their maturity, their professionalism...and their absolute dedication to Tony Boneca. They called him their little brother.
Incidentally, some here may remember the controversy surrounding comments by Boneca's girl-friend, Megan DeCorte, immediately following his death. She was at the dinner as well, spending time and remembering Tony with the soldiers of 32 Casual.
The Regiment went, en masse, to Cpl Boneca's grave after the Remembrance Day ceremonies. 32 Casual was there as well. Boneca's buddies shared a flask of something strong, and tipped a bit onto his grave. In a semi-circle, the Regiment and its comrades listened to words of comfort from the Padre, then, individually and in pairs or threes, saluted "T-Bone" Boneca and laid their poppies (red ones) on his grave. It was freezing cold and, because of a logistics mix-up, the bus that had carried the troops to the cemetary had left. Those of use with cars packed as many cold soldiers as we could into our vehicles, cranked up the heat and transported the entire kit-and-kaboodle back to the Armoury.
Back in the WOs and Sgts Mess, 32 Casual presented the Regiment with Boneca's helmet. It had been pulled off his head and tossed aside after he was hit and was being given first aid. Forgotten, it remained in the mud-walled compound while the place was later saturated with grenades and, subsequently, Hellfire missiles and Apache cannon fire. Later, 32 Casual recovered it, kept it (they were supposed to turn it into the CQ), and then decided to donate it to the Lake Sups as a memorial to "T-Bone". The helmet is intact, but looks like someone took a blow-torch to it. Encased in glass and accompanied by a picture of Cpl Boneca, it now has a place of prominence at the front of the Thunder Bay Armoury.
Our troops did not forget Thunder Bay's other two recent casualties on this day. Pte Josh Klukie and Pte Robert Costall, both Reg F, were both from Thunder Bay. A Remembrance Table set up in the Sgts Mess memorialized all three of these men, Thunder Bay's lost sons.
I shall never forget 32 Casual, nor the PPCLI decision to send them to Thunder Bay for this day. Things like this are why soldiers are soldiers.
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Cpl. Boneca's final resting place, this week, following last weekend's Remembrance Day...
- edit 191126EST Nov 06 for grammar -
- edit 191126EST Nov 06 for grammar -
- Reaction score
- 2,535
- Points
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....family and loved ones remember - see attached.
- Reaction score
- 2,535
- Points
- 1,260
- Reaction score
- 2,535
- Points
- 1,260
Ten years today
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