On a beautiful Wednesday morning in October, two Canadian soldiers went
to pay their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa. Both men, members of the Sutherland
Highlanders of Hamilton, surely did not imagine that this was a dangerous duty.
The honor guard at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier is a ceremonial position and it is considered a privilege and
an honour to be selected for it. The
mere presence of these two soldiers at this sacred place is a sign of the deep
respect their commanders had for them.
Because it is a ceremonial position, the weapons the soldiers carry are
not loaded. And so, there on sacred
ground, two soldiers stood unarmed, paying tribute to those brave men who fell
protecting our freedom in faraway places so many years ago.
On this beautiful Wednesday morning in October, a Canadian soldier lost
his life while carrying out his duties – gunned down by a terrorist coward. Corporal
Nathan Cirillo was a young father. He
was a soldier. Pictures show him with
his beloved dogs, having fun, looking strong and handsome. Not twenty-four hours earlier, near Montréal,
Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was run down and killed by another coward. Neither terrorist will be mentioned by name
in this post.
The majority of Canadians did not personally know Cpl Cirillo or WO
Vincent, but we mourn them. We mourn
them not just because they were great men of courage, but because we see in
them our brother, our father, our husband, our friend. We mourn them because their lives ended too
soon. We mourn them because it is men
like Cpl Cirillo and WO Vincent who make Canada great. As Cpl Cirillo’s family said in a statement
late Friday afternoon, he was “Canada’s son.”
This is why, on Friday, with but a few hours notice, thousands of Canadians lined overpasses stretching from Ottawa to Hamilton to pay their
respects. I also stood on one of these
overpasses with my son. We stood with
people from all walks of life, with policemen, firefighters, paramedics,
veterans, young, old, people of many races and religions, all to recognize Cpl
Cirillo’s ultimate sacrifice. From this
overpass, at the height of rush hour in the largest city in Canada, we watched
the 401 come to a standstill and the entire Westbound lanes clear as the
Ontario Provincial Police escorted Corporal Cirillo to his final resting
place. People clapped, people stood at
attention, some shed a tear. One thing
is clear: For every one of us that terrorists kill there are a thousand
more. We are not scared. We are not afraid to fight. You will never beat us.
Rest In Peace Corporal
Cirillo and Warrant Officer Vincent. You are loved.
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