Highway of Heroes

One of the busiest highways in North America is the main east-west route through southern Ontario; The MacDonald-Cartier Highway - The 401. It stretches all the way from the Detroit, MI - Windsor, ON terminus all the way to the Quebec border just shy of Montreal, a distance of 500 miles.

A section of the 401 has been renamed 'Highway of Heroes' in honour of our fallen soldiers in Afghanistan. Our soldiers are officially repatriated at services on the Armed Forces base in Trenton, ON on landing. They are then transported along this 100 mile long stretch of road all the way into Toronto where autopsies are performed before their bodies are released to their families.

Since 2002 people had begun, in ones and twos, to gather on bridges over the highway to welcome our fallen troops home for the final time. As more and more people noticed the gatherings, those gatherings grew. The flags came out, those folks were joined by police, fire and EMS personnel, veterans showed up in uniform, people came, young and old. The media noticed, as did the politicians, and last year the highway renaming took place. These impromptu observances have moved our military personnel and the families of the soldiers honoured.

Here is an article from our local paper describing the latest one last week for the 98th, 99th and 100th soldiers.

Milestone reveals sacrifices we make for freedom

Dec 09, 2008 - 04:30 AM
It represents a number we have dreaded for a long time but somehow knew was inevitable.
One hundred soldiers dead in Afghanistan.
On Friday, we received the grim news. Three Canadian military men were killed when their armoured vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device near Kandahar City.
Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson of Keswick, Corporal Mark Robert McLaren of Peterborough and Private Demetrios Diplaros of Toronto became the 98th, 99th and 100th soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan since 2002. Their young faces appeared in newspapers and on television screens across our nation.
And on Monday, along the 172-kilometre stretch of Hwy. 401 from Trenton to Toronto, they made that final journey along the Highway of Heroes.
While the sad milestone made headlines and reminded us all of the sacrifices our troops have made, it's important to remember the lives behind the names and faces of these deceased troops. All were based out of Petawawa.
All three men leave behind grieving family and friends who will struggle to make sense of their loss. They know their loved ones were serving their country doing what they wanted to do, trying to make the world a safer place, one where democracy has a chance to flourish.
Brigadier General Denis Thompson, whose duty it was to lead the news conference announcing the deaths of the soldiers, put it best when he said: "Already there is talk of numbers and milestones. But it is my hope that the focus remains on the lives and sacrifices of these brave soldiers as they serve Canada in the effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan."
Such poignant words and so true to the families of those who have died. Locally, we know the pain and anguish felt by the friends and family of Trooper Darryl Caswell of Bowmanville, who died in Afghanistan in June 2007, and we can never forget his sacrifice for his country.
Canada is committed to the mission in Afghanistan until 2011 and U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has said he is committed to the long-term establishment of democracy there. We can only hope our brave soldiers can aid in this mission with as little loss of life as possible in the years to come.
-- Metroland Durham Region Media Group

There have been a couple of occasions when I have passed by these gatherings but haven't had time to stop and pay my respects. One day soon I'll be there along with hundreds of others to do so.

BTW - With this being a GM city we have many frequent visitors from stateside. There has been some jealousy and frustration expressed that something along this line can't be organized in the U.S. for their troops being killed in Iraq. Perhaps one day soon there will be.