Sneak peek at Afghanistan memorial

Brigadier General (Ret’d) Larry Gollner, chair of the Afghanistan Memorial Society, after unveiling a new monument commemorating the service of 40,000 civilians and military who served in Afghanistan.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

The goal to create a physical memorial commemorating the 40,000 Canadians who served in Afghanistan has come to life.

Members of the Afghanistan Memorial Society, military veterans, community leaders and press gathered at the Bay Street Armoury April 19 for an advance viewing of the newly created monument.

The rectangular, grey-colored memorial is made of durable Light Barre Granite that was acquired from a quarry in Stanstead, Que. It was created by Victoria-based Stewart Monumental Works Ltd.  and measures 11 feet long, three feet in depth and stands six feet high at its tallest point.

The names of the 163 Canadians killed during our country’s decade-long military campaign are inscribed on the monument. Also commemorated are the families of the fallen and those who returned home with mental or physical wounds.

The dominant image of the memorial is a Canadian soldier embossed in black silhouette holding the hand of a young Afghan child.

Afghanistan Memorial project chair, Brigadier General (Ret’d) Larry Gollner emphasized the importance of the black silhouette design as he lifted up the canopy to reveal the monument to the crowd of onlookers.  The image was from a battlefield photograph taken by Reuters photographer Finbarr O’Reilly, and Gollner says the symbolism is really central to both the message of the memorial and the mandate of the memorial committee. 

“This memorial and the imagery really speaks for itself,” he says. “A huge part of our mission in Afghanistan was about assisting the children of that country.”

Gollner added that while combat missions are often the predominant theme in the media, the humanitarian aspect is really the fundamental component of those missions. In Afghanistan that has included the building of hospitals, schools, wells and other infrastructure by Canadian military and civilian workers.

“It all boils down to education, and having a nation whose children are educated is the biggest threat to the survival of any terrorist organization operating there,” he concludes.

Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, the memorial society’s patron, will officiate at the dedication ceremony on Sept. 30 at the Court House Park at the corner of Quadra and Courtney Streets.

For more information please visit the Afghanistan Memorial website: www.vicafghanistanmemorial.ca