Military member represents Canada at Paralympic Games

Cpl Dominic Larocque will be competing in the Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

Cpl Dominic Larocque will represent Canada with pride at the XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in March.

“I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Cpl Dominic Larocque for making the Canadian National Sledge Hockey Team,” said General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff. “Cpl Larocque’s drive and determination serves as an inspiring example for us all. This March I urge you to join me cheering on Cpl Larocque, and all of the men and women who will represent Canada as part of our Paralympics teams.”

In 2007, Cpl Larocque was deployed with the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment in the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan. While on patrol, he was wounded in an improvised explosive device attack. As a result, his left leg was amputated above the knee.

Following an extensive rehabilitation period, Cpl Larocque was introduced to the Soldier On Program and to the sport of ice sledge hockey.

“In 2010 I had the opportunity to visit Vancouver during the Paralympics. It really inspired me and I decided that I would like to be part of the national team in Sochi. I am extremely proud and excited that my dream has become a reality,” says Cpl Larocque.

Military/sport connection

There is a long relationship between sports and military service in our country. Canadians serving in the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War often took part in games days and other official and unofficial athletic contests. This military/sport connection has continued in the post-war years. Not surprisingly, some of these ‘soldier-athletes’ have worn both a military uniform and an Olympic athlete’s uniform for our country.

Paralympic Games

The origins of the Paralympic Games are closely tied with military service. In the years after the Second World War, some allied servicemen and servicewomen who had been seriously injured in duty began turning to sport to help in their rehabilitation. This modest beginning has grown into the worldwide competition the Paralympic Games are today.
The peace and freedom we in Canada enjoy today is only a dream in many of the countries that compete in these international games. These privileges are ours because generations of Canadians, like the people mentioned here, have defended them over the years.

Soldier On: Using sport to improve the quality of life

Awareness of the importance that sport and other physically challenging activities can play in helping to rehabilitate and reintegrate injured servicemen and servicewomen has grown over the years. The Soldier On program is a highly visible and integral component of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces’ commitment and priority towards the recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of serving and retired CAF members with visible or non-visible illnesses or injuries.

Since 2006, the program has helped over 750 members to overcome their illness or injury such as Sgt (retired) Doug Brown and Capt Simon Mailloux, the first known Canadian soldier to return to Afghanistan after an amputation. The program has also helped ill or injured members such as Cpl Dominic Larocque and Sgt (retired) Steve Daniels obtain the necessary training and equipment to be selected to the national team in the respective sports and compete for Canada at the Paralympic Games.

Many ill and injured members credit Soldier On with helping them to accept their new normal and move forward in life.

-DND