158 Canadian soldiers died in Canada’s Afghanistan mission between 2002 and 2011, men and women a Grande Prairie resident doesn’t want forgotten. Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Units member Renee Charbonneau has designed a monument she’d like to see built in the newly named Veteran’s Park.
“They deserve to be remembered for their losses, but more importantly, their families need to be remembered. Every one of these names represent a family and a community that lost someone special to them.”
The daughter of military parents, Charbonneau has gotten support from groups like the Army Navy Airforce Veterans Club, the D’Coy Armouries, and the Royal Canadian Legion. She plans to apply to Veterans Affairs for funding and expects to have to raise about $30,000 to built the 5′ by 9′ monument.
“It’s hugely important that we are educating people about our new veterans, and about those who have laid down their lives for this country in the belief that the work that they do means something. I don’t want these names forgotten.”
She’ll be looking for support from the city in February and hopes to have everything built and in place by the end of October with a ceremony ahead of Remembrance Day. Charbonneau believes it will be the first Afghanistan war memorial in northern Alberta.