THUNDER BAY – Soldiers who make the ultimate sacrifice are remembered and honoured as Canadian heroes.
But those who return home and take their lives after being unable to live in the aftermath of their war experiences tend to be ignored and forgotten.
Lise Charron, founder of non-profit organization Honour our Canadian Soldiers, said she started the group after being approached by the mother of a veteran who committed suicide after battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
“A mother told me she was afraid we were going to forget her son. After I posted a picture, I had a group to remember (soldiers) on Facebook, I was posting the soldiers we lost in Afghanistan because they are the only ones I knew and I thought that’s not normal to forget someone who served our country with pride,” she said through tears.
“Sometimes we have false beliefs they were pre-destined to commit suicide and it’s not the truth. So I asked if she was allowing me to post his picture and once I posted his picture somebody else told me their son committed suicide too and it came from there. It started with three, now we have 12.”
The group has received permission from the families of 12 soldiers to honour them at ceremonies and put faces to the tragedy. One of those 12 is Pte. Thomas Welch of Thunder Bay, who committed suicide at the age of 22 on May 8, 2004.
After working with Veterans Affairs, a plaque was installed at the National Military Ceremony in Ottawa in memory of soldiers of suicide.
Charron established the group in November 2012 and said there has been a fundamental culture shift within the past couple of years about how the military is addressing mental health of returned soldiers.
She said it is something that is now being talked about and every year there seem to be more supports available.
But for those who are gone it’s too late, and for the fourth consecutive year the group will honour the lost soldiers with candlelight memorial ceremonies to be held across Canada on Feb. 21.
This is the first year a ceremony will be held in Thunder Bay with other events happening simultaneously in Ottawa, Oromocto, N.B. and Waterloo, Que., where a second plaque will be unveiled.
The ceremony will be held at the Royal Canadian Polish Legion Branch 219 on Cumberland Street. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m., attendees are asked to arrive at around 3:30 p.m.
