Members of the Remembrance Day Sentry Program perform important ceremonial duty

November 7, 2022 - Defence Stories

Every year, six CAF members and one RCMP officer are selected from nominations received from across the country to stand vigil during the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa. The Remembrance Day Sentry Program was created in 1998 to publicly recognize outstanding Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members from both the Regular and the Reserve Force, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), for their dedication, professionalism, and performance in service to Canada.

Having the distinction of being the newest members of the Remembrance Day Sentry Program, this year’s sentries will stand vigil at the National War Memorial during the ceremony held November 11, 2022. As in previous years, they have been honoured with this important duty based on criteria such as deployment experience, community involvement, physical fitness, and their record of conduct. They also are representative of the diversity and inclusion found in today’s CAF.

Caption

Back row, from left: RCMP Sentry Constable Éric Boudreau, Canadian Army Sentry Commander: Sergeant Ryan T. Peden, Royal Canadian Navy Sentry Sailor 3rd Class William Ryan Black, and Military Personnel Command Nursing Officer Sentry Captain Doug B. Murphy. Front row, from left: Special Guest of the Chief of the Defence Staff Sergeant Bounyarattanaphon Makthepharak, Royal Canadian Air Force Sentry Master Corporal Karine Delisle and Special Operations Forces Sentry Master Corporal Vernon Taylor.

This year marks the first time a Canadian Ranger – Sgt Ryan Peden, Patrol Commander, 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Swan River, Man. – has been selected for the Remembrance Day Program. His selection is especially timely, as earlier in March, the Department of National Defence and the CAF named 2022 The Year of the Canadian Ranger.

“I am honoured to be chosen for this year’s Remembrance Day Program,” Sgt Peden said. “As the first Canadian Ranger to be chosen to participate, I am keenly aware of the trust put in me by my chain of command; and in Rangers as a whole, by the Canadian Armed Forces. I am humbled to be a small part of the ceremony that pays respect to Canadians who gave everything for their country and the values it enshrines.”

The following personnel have been selected to form the vigil for the event this year:

• Canadian Army Sentry Commander: Sergeant Ryan T. Peden, 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, Swan River, Man.
• Royal Canadian Navy Sentry: Sailor 3rd Class William Ryan Black, HMCS Calgary, CFB Esquimalt, Esquimalt, B. C.
• Royal Canadian Air Force Sentry: Master Corporal Karine Delisle, 14 Air Reserve Flight, Greenwood, N. S.
• Special Operations Forces Sentry: Master Corporal Vernon Taylor, Canadian Special Operations Regiment, Petawawa, Ont.
• Military Personnel Command Nursing Officer Sentry: Captain Doug B. Murphy, Canadian Forces Health Services Group Headquarters, Ottawa
• RCMP Sentry: Constable Éric Boudreau, Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, Montréal, Que.
• Special Guest of the Chief of the Defence Staff: Sergeant Bounyarattanaphon Makthepharak, Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group National Headquarters, Ottawa.

In the days leading up to the Remembrance Day ceremony, the seven sentries have a full schedule of activities, including visits to National Defence Headquarters, the Canadian War Museum, the National Military Cemetery, and the RCMP Musical Ride Stables. Yet within the excitement of travel and the pride of having been chosen a sentry, the gravity of the occasion is never forgotten.

“Today, we acknowledge the sacrifices made by past and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces,” MCpl Taylor, CSOR, said. “We honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and value the everyday sacrifices made by every CAF member who is called away from their loved ones in service to the nation.”