KELOWNA — Dozens of people attended a ceremony in Kelowna Friday as part of Canada’s first National Day of Honour.
It was proclaimed to commemorate the military personnel who served during the 12 year mission in Afghanistan.
The event was held at the airport where a plaque was unveiled paying tribute to the Okanagan’s own regiment, the B.C. Dragoons, who sent 33 members to Afghanistan.
“This is a good place to do it because this was the stepping off point for a lot of the guys that left the Okanagan valley and this is the first place they came home, they met their families here,” says retired Master Warrant Officer, David Jones.
The plaque will be posted alongside the Coming Home statue of a soldier and his young child.
It was presented to the City of Kelowna by the Dragoons on the regiment’s 100th anniversary in 2011.
“This is fantastic. Every time I come to the airport and see the statue it kind of pulls at the heart strings, and with this new plaque, it’ll be really nice,” says Captain John Broughton of the Dragoons.
About 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan; 158 soldiers came home in caskets.
The plaque dedication ceremony ended with two minutes of silence to honour their sacrifice.
Comments