National memorial commemorating Canada's mission in Afghanistan to be displayed in Québec City area

VALCARTIER BASE, QC, June 9, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - A national memorial commemorating Canada's mission in Afghanistan will be on display in the Québec City area from June 10 to 14, 2014. This will give local residents, including the several thousand soldiers and military families in the area, an opportunity to honour the memory of those who gave their lives in Afghanistan.

When:	- Tuesday, June 10, from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm - Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12, from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm
Where:	Andrée-P.-Boucher Building, 1130 Route de l'Église (Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge borough office)
What:	Free public exhibit of the memorial

The memorial will be displayed first in the Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge area. It will then be shown in Valcartier on June 14, 2014, so that residents who attend the open house day for the 100th anniversary of the Valcartier Base will be able to see the exhibit at the same time.

The memorial is a movable structure made up of 192 plaques representing the 204 people who died during the various deployments in Afghanistan. The plaques represent 158 Canadian soldiers, a Canadian diplomat, a Defence contractor and a Canadian journalist who were killed during the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. The 43 Americans (42 soldiers and 1 civilian) who died under Canadian command are also represented.

The plaques were formerly part of the Kandahar Airfield cenotaph in Afghanistan, which was dismantled and repatriated to Canada. The cenotaph was a memorial structure for Canadian soldiers to commemorate their colleagues who died while deployed in Afghanistan.

The memorial will be displayed at different locations across Canada and the United States from May 3 to November 12, 2014. For a list of the locations, visit http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/honours-history-military-memorials/Afghanistan-memorial-vigil.page?.

SOURCE: National Defence

Notes to editor/news director:

Contact information: Captain Mathieu Dufour, Public Affairs Officer of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, at 418 844-5000, ext 4688, or at [email protected]