At noon on Wednesday, March. 12 at the Chestermere Town Hall during a flag raising ceremony, Mayor Patricia Matthews gave a thoughtful speech honouring Canada’s commitment in Afghanistan.
Flags were lowered in several municipalities across the country until noon to echo a similar acknowledgment in Kabul where the final Canadian soldiers prepared to leave the country for good.
“We are not only here to celebrate but also to remember,” said Mayor Matthews. “We celebrate the fact that our engagement is over and to remember those whose lives were lost protecting not only our beliefs but the beliefs of those across the sea. We are celebrating that there will be no more lives lost after this in this conflict on behalf of Canada and celebrating that the rest of our troops will be coming home safe, but we also must remember those who didn’t make it home.”
At the ceremony along with the Mayor, Councillors and town staff were joined by members of the RCMP and Fire Services as well as local veterans in uniform to salute the flag as it was raised back to its rightful position.
Ray Hessler spent 22 years serving in the Regular Force including two tours with the United Nations in Cypress and Egypt followed by an additional four years with the Reserve Forces in Calgary after retiring. “I thought it was a really good ceremony, and I know the troops appreciate it when they are welcomed home” said Hessler, who added that 158 Canadian lives were lost during the 13 years Canadian soldiers spent in Afghanistan since 2001.
Canadians can be proud of the lives that were positively changed due to their presence in Afghanistan. According to officials, Afghanistan’s military now stands at 185,000 personnel and has a police force over 150,000 – many of whom were trained by Canadians.
