Two Fallen Soldiers Returning Home

DND/Canadian Forces ^ | 2007-11-19 | (media advisory)

[Clive]

Media Advisory

Two Fallen Soldiers Returning Home

MA 07-018 - November 19, 2007

OTTAWA, Ont. — Our fallen soldiers, Corporal Nicolas Raymond Beauchamp, 28, 5e Ambulance de campagne, and Private Michel Levesque, 25, 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, both were based out of Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Quebec, are scheduled to return home to Canada tomorrow.

Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario.

When: Tuesday November 20, 3:00 p.m.

What: At the wishes of the families, there will be no media permitted on the tarmac and no interviews will be given.

Present to pay their respects will be Her Excellency, the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and other dignitaries.

Two Canadian soldiers and one Afghan interpreter were killed at approximately 12:00 a.m. Kandahar time on November 17, 2007 when their Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV III) struck a suspected Improvised Explosive Device approximately 40 km west of Kandahar City in the vicinity of Ma’sum Ghar.

-30-

Note to the Editor/News Director:

Questions may be directed to Capt. Nicole Meszaros, 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Public Affairs Officer, who can be reached at (613) 392-2811 ext. 2041, mobile (613) 391-5233 or at: meszaros.nl@forces.gc.ca.

For flight information, contact the Air Passenger Terminal at 1-800-487-1186.

[Clive]

-

[exg]

They will receive their last welcome home along the highway of heroes.

[Cagey]

BTTT

[alfa6]

To the families of our fallen Canadian brothers.

Deepest Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Clive]

I still think renaming Hwy 401 was a bit over the top.

For those unfamiliar with the reference:

Canadian Forces land returned fallen soldiers at CFB Trenton and then transport them by hearse to the Toronto for post mortem examination. The route is along Hwy 401 and then down the Don Valley Parkway then through the downtown streets to the coroner's building.

Fire and police units along the highway began to station vehicles on the overpass bridges along the route so as to salute as the hearses pass by. It was totally impromptu and nobody organized it. Civilians began to join the units.

Toronto prohibited its fire department from joining the practice, claiming that it took emergency vehicles out of service. So the firefighters, on their own initiative, began the custom of parading in full dress uniform in front of the two fire halls that the hearses pass en route to the coroner's building. Civilians began lining the city streets along the route.

Now every overpass and the ciry streets along the route are lined with people paying their respects.

[fanfan]