A large crowd gathered in foggy, wet weather along Harbour Passage for a solemn ceremony to honour the Canadian soldiers who paid the ultimate price during the Afghanistan mission.
A memorial was unveiled on Friday morning near the new TD trail with the names of these 158 fallen soldiers which includes private David Greenslade of Saint John, who died in 2007 in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan which also killed five other soldiers. David’s father, Donnie, worked on the memorial project and tells CHSJ News for him it was a labour of love.
“As a dad, I’m still taking care of my son to make sure he’s remembered and the other brothers and sisters and other ones who have lost their lives,” says Donnie Greenslade. “Try to keep the memory going.”
Kate Stannix’s son, master corporal Christopher Stannix, also lost his life in that same roadside bombing a decade ago. She called the memorial a beautiful tribute for the boys but tells CHSJ News that it is bittersweet.
“It’s lovely to have them remembered in such a positive way, but then again it brings it all back…but that never really goes away anyway, and it could be 20 years and the grief is still there. But it changes over time a little bit, the grief does, it’s not as sharp,” says Stannix.
“When you remember now it’s more smiles and good memories…and you’re more thankful for the time that you did have with them.”
Laurie Greenslade, David’s mother, is emphasizing the need to support veterans who may be struggling.
“One of the key messages for this, not only as a time to recognize, remember, is also for support for those that return and are having problems like having post-traumatic stress disorder that we support them and tell them it’s okay to talk about it and give them the help that they deserve — and their families.”
