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GUEST COLUMN: Soldiers carry their Thunder Bay pride abroad

Major Geoff Abthorpe, Chronicle-Journal, 7 Oct 06

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CAN in Kandahar News

 

Full Pte. Klukie Obituary

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WAR is about the sto­ries of soldiers. And soldiers like to tell stories to other sol­diers. It’s how we bond, how we identify, and how we cope. It seems like Thunder Bay should have a book written about the exploits of its sons and daughters in uniform.

Private Joshua Klukie was serving under my command in Bravo Company when he was killed on Sept. 29 during a foot patrol in the Panjawii area. He was a quiet; fit and highly motivated soldier. During his summer leave, as he was visiting his friends and family out on Lakeshore Drive prior to de­parting for Afghanistan, he put on his uniform and attended the funeral of Corporal Athony Boneca.

Corporal Boneca was killed in the Panjawii area on July 9. He was a proud reservist with the Lake Superior Scottish Reg­iment and the Thunder Bay community laid him to rest with the highest possible honours.

Private Robert Costall was killed in action while serving with TF Orion in Helmand Province at the end of March. His legacy lives on with the Canadian Forward Operating Base in Spin Boldak carrying his surname.

As the company clerk for A Company of 2 PPCLI, currently posted to Shilo, Manitoba, Master Corporal Jackie Long has seen more than her share of the battles here, dealing with the complex bureaucracy associated with the military, as she ad­ministers the living, the wounded and the dead. But each day she smiles, offers a candy from her dish, and soldiers on.

And there are others... soldiers from Thunder Bay whom I have failed to name only because they quietly go about their duties without identifying where they are from. They are true professionals who represent the full contrasts the mititary profession offers — from being able to swear a blue streak that would make their mothers blush, to unashamedly crying in the arms of another soldier at the loss of a friend and colleague. Thunder Bay, through its geographic location, forces us to focus on our family and community and when we put on a uniform and move away, we transfer that pride and carry it with us.

I enrolled in the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment at the end of high school, and was in­spired by the stories of worldly adventure provided by the NCOs of that unit. After transferring to the Regular Army, I did stints in various units around Canada and the world before taking a brief posting back to Thunder Bay. I was there when Anthony Boneca first enrolled in the LSSR, being the Regular Support Staff Officer to the unit in 2002.

While on leave in Thunder Bay this past summer preparing for my subsequent deployment to Afghanistan, I was there when Corporal Boneca was laid to rest. As I left the church, I turned around and was surprised to see Private Joshua Klukie standing there, in full uniform. When I asked what motivated him to attend the funeral, and whether he was friends with Corporal Boneca, he simply stated that he was a fellow comrade-in-arms and that he needed to be there.

I could not have been more proud.

I will not be able to attend the funeral of Private Joshua Klukie. But I will be represented by my soldiers, the soldiers of Thunder Bay, and the memories I have of that fme young man. And when I return to the city for leave to visit my friends and family, I will make a very special pilgrimage to his gravesite and pay my respects to a fellow Royal Canadian.

In conclusion, I ask only one small favour. On November 11th this year, do not awkwardly grin and wave at a passing sol­dier or veteran as they march by on the street; proudly walk up to them and thank them for the job they have done. Engage them in conversation and listen to their stories. And if you can’t do that, then quietly visit the final resting place of a soldier, lay a poppy and give solemn thanks for the chapter that they have written.

Inter Pericula Intrepidi and Pro Patria

Major Geoff Abthorpe (center) commands a Canadian rifle company in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of CF Combat Camera.