Afghanistan Memorial Vigil honours fallen Canadians
Published on October 10, 2014
Photo special to The Guardian
A travelling memorial honouring Canadians killed during Canadas military mission in Afghanistan is in Charlottetown Oct. 9 to 11. The public is being urged to visit the Afghanistan Memorial Vigil, which is inside Memorial Hall at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
The Afghanistan Memorial Vigil, a travelling memorial honouring Canadians killed during the military mission in Afghanistan, is in Charlottetown as part of its North American tour.
The memorial was unveiled Thursday inside Memorial Hall at the Confederation Centre of the Arts and will remain open to the public for daily visits until Oct. 11.
The Afghanistan Memorial Vigil provides us with a chance to reflect on the bravery, dedication and professionalism of Canadian Armed Forces members who have served in Afghanistan and those who supported the mission, said Rear Admiral John Newton, commander of Joint Task Force Atlantic.
It also provides the opportunity to remember and honour those who we lost during our 12-year engagement in Afghanistan.
The memorial contains 192 plaques representing 201 fallen. It honours fallen Canadians, including 158 Canadian Armed Forces personnel, a Canadian diplomat, a Department of National Defence contractor, a Canadian journalist who was embedded with the forces, and more than 40 United States Armed Forces members and a U.S. civilian who were under Canadian command during operations in Afghanistan.
The original cenotaph in Kandahar Air Field was a memorial structure for Canadian soldiers to commemorate their fallen comrades while deployed in Afghanistan.
More than 39,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan or in support of the mission from other locations around the world during Canadas 12-year mission.
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Afghanistan Memorial Vigil honours fallen Canadians