Monument to honour Thunder Bay troops killed in AFG

[The Bread Guy]

Shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act (the inks in the names bring you to Milnet.ca "Thoughts & Prayers" threads for the individuals)

The Thunder Bay Military History Society is to unveil a monument Sept. 14 in Waverley Park, honouring the memory of three local soldiers killed in the NATO campaign in Afghanistan.

Society chairman Ken MacAskill said Thursday that the monument dedication and unveiling will take place at 11 a.m.
Following the unveiling, the program will move to the Officers’ Mess in the Armoury where memorial toasts will be presented followed by light refreshments.

It is expected that the local military will perform the dedication service, but citizens of Thunder Bay as well as veterans and friends are encouraged to attend and pay their respects to the three men and show support for the surviving family members, said MacAskill.

The soldiers to be honoured are:
• Pte. Josh Klukie, 23, a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based at CFB Petawawa, died Sept. 29, 2006 after triggering what may have been an improvised explosive device on a road in Afghanistan’s Panjwaii district.
• Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca, 21, a reservist with the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, was killed July 9, 2006, as Canadian military and Afghan security forces were pushing through an area west of Kandahar City that had been a hotbed of Taliban activity.
• Pte. Robert Costall, 22, was killed March 28, 2006 in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in the desert north of Kandahar. Costall was a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton. An American inquiry, made public in the summer of 2007, determined Costall was killed by friendly fire.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Bumped with the latest - a photo following the dedication ceremony.

 

[The Bread Guy]

It appears another group of folks want to erect another memorial to Thunder Bay's fallen from all wars ....

A group is looking to honour all of the city's fallen soldiers.

The military Tribute Committee says while the city does have several war memorials, it doesn't have one that lists all the names of those who have died in battle.

"We owe a debt that can never be repaid to those who gave up their lives," Spokesman Jim Mauro told city council Monday night.

The project will likely take years to get off the ground Mauro said, but they want the city to propose a location for it should enough funds be raised to build it.

"This will not be an easy undertaking," he said.

While the group does have several ideas for locations, from Marina Park to the Kam River Park, it's looking for administration to make the recommendation.

Members of city council supported the idea but suggested the group get in touch with the Legion and other community organizations to keep it going forward.

Attached find the document the group shared with Council this week.

If realized, this would become Thunder Bay's sixth monument I know of, if you count 3 cenotaphs, a smaller gravestone-sized monument dedicated to Afghanistan fallen near one cenotaph, a Mariners' Monument honouring the fallen at sea, and an  RCAF (version 1.0) monument at the airport.