Today’s Northumberland got a sneak peak at a memorial being built for a local fallen soldier.
Metal artist, Shawn Donnan from Horizon Metalworks is creating the Highway of Heroes Adoption Four One Hundred & Fifty Eight in Honour of Major Michelle Knight Mendes Memorial at his business in Stirling.
Kerri Tadeu from Kingston commissioned the artwork was good friends with Knight Mendes.
The metal globe will be unveiled at the Portraits of Honour Foundation – Our Nations Heroes Hockey Game in Kingston on Sunday, October 26 at 2 p.m. at the Leon’s Centre in Kingston.
The game be members of the military, veterans and civilian first responders against members of the Montreal Canadians alumni.
The metal globe depicts the story of a fallen soldiers journey from Afghanistan to Canada.
The start of the story of the Highway of Heroes Memorial has four battle crosses to acknowledge the first four fallen soldiers of the Afghanistan War.
A metal ‘ring’ the memorial globe will sit on that has the 158 names of the fallen soldiers and the four names of the civilians killed in Afghanistan.
The first four names of the fallen soldiers will line up with the four battle crosses.
The six hearses acknowledge the devastating events on April 8, 2007 and July 4, 2007 where six soldiers were carried home.
An image of former Chief of Defense Staff General (retired) Walter Natynczyk saluting is on the memorial globe to acknowledge the incredible support Tadeu has received from him and acknowledge his service as the CDS during the time of the Afghanistan War.
The letters“PPCLI” (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry) are on the globe to acknowledge the first four soldiers that fell and the last soldier that fell were PPCLI.
Also to share the story that two PPCLI veterans from the Afghanistan War moved their “pain to purpose” in adopting the Highway of Heroes to pay their respect to their fallen comrades and combat the epidemic of suicide among veterans.
Medic Paul Franklin lost his legs and Civilian Glyn Berry was killed in a suicide bombing in 2006. The damaged vehicle on the memorial is to acknowledge the civilians that were killed during the Afghanistan War.
The Highway of Heroes image on the globe will be changed and the date “May 17 2006” will be added to acknowledge the death of ‘Canada’s daughter’, the first female to be killed in combat, Captain Nicola Goddard.
Honorary Colonel of the Military Police Academy, Nancy Siew, Mother of Fallen Soldier, Cletus Cheng will be dropping the puck with Military Police Detachment Commander Lt. Cindy Cote and the soon to be new Kingston Chief of Police Antje McNeely.
At the end of the game, Lucas Dawe – fallen soldier Captain Matthew Dawe’s son will skate the memorial out on the ice with his Uncle, James Dawe (Veteran) and skate the memorial over to his mom Tara Dawe who will unveil the memorial with fallen soldier Marc Leger’s parents Richard Leger and his wife Claire.
To view video of the memorial globe click here http://nesphotos.zenfolio.com/p966067926/hbb249ec2#hbb249ec2
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
