Thursday, January 1, 2009

Highway of Heroes

In 2007, a stretch of one of our major highways was renamed "Highway of Heroes" in remembrance of our soldiers killed in Afghanistan. The bodies of these heroes are flown back from Afghanistan to Canadian Forces Base Trenton where a repatriation ceremony is held on the tarmac, and from there are driven on the Highway of Heroes to Toronto where the bodies are autopsied.

Thousands of people line the overpasses on this 172 km. (107 mile) stretch of highway - firemen, police officers, veterans, mothers, fathers and children. Yesterday, when temperatures were well below zero, was no exception, as crowds gathered to pay tribute to three more fallen soldiers. As the motorcade passes underneath them, they wave their Canadian flags, salute and often shed a tear.



I have been working on a Quilt of Valour today. The top was made by a small group of Canadian quilters on the Delphi Forum.


I got the back pieced today and embroidered a label for it. It's now loaded on Tillie and tomorrow it will get quilted. Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to make another one.

Here is a story NBC News did on our Highway of Heroes - since this was filmed, our war dead has risen to 106.

1 comment:

Three Birds Inspired said...

I think your country's citizen tribute to the fallen is magnificent. Our military's death toll continues to rise and, sadly, I know that it will continue. Wouldn't it be nice if this were the last year that young men and women lost their lives in that horrible conflict?