Defence Team News: 10th anniversary of the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan
Video / March 22, 2024
Transcript
Our members served with valour and selflessness. They were there to make a difference - and they did.
It's an honour to be here on this hallowed ground to mark this anniversary.
Ten years is not a long time in the course of a memory.
For those of us who served in Afghanistan—myself and General Eyre included—the memories of that mission still run deep in our souls.
Afghanistan is forever etched into the collective psyche of those who served there.
It is the backdrop of our efforts, of our sweat,
and most of all our blood.
I was there almost 10 years ago to the day
as our flag was lowered for the last time in the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) compound in Kabul.
It caused me to reflect
at that point,
and it still does.
After their wars, our forebears were able to visit many of the countries in which they served, such as in Europe and Korea, and put their sacrifices in context.
Whether it's sharing tea with villagers and hearing about their hope for a better future.
Or rebuilding schools and seeing excited young girls attend for the very first time.
Or digging wells and bringing medical supplies to places that needed them.
These are the memories we will carry with us always.
And they are the memories that we commemorate today.