Paying respects to Sgt. Doiron from the Victoria Park overpass

Highway of Heroes in use once again for first victim of fight against ISIS in Iraq

A hearse carried the body of Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron through the Highway of Heroes Tuesday evening. Police cars and an EMS bus lit up the Victoria Park overpass with their flashing lights. A crowd gathered to pay its respects adorned the bridge with flags, big and small, some tied to hockey sticks, others to poles.

Bob Chalmers looks over the Victoria Park overpass thinking about fallen members of the Canadian Armed forces.

Bob Chalmers looks over the Victoria Park overpass thinking about fallen members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Bob Chalmers, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 66 poppy chairman, was handing out poppies to everyone waiting. “It’s tradition to wear poppies during funerals of veterans,” he said, “I think the people who come out to the bridges are patriots and do whatever they have to do to show their patriotism.”

Doiron, 31, of Moncton, N.B. and a member of the Petawawa-based Canadian Special Operations Regiment, was killed in a friendly-fire incident in Iraq last Friday.

His body was flown home yesterday to CFB Trenton where a repatriation ceremony was held before the funeral procession headed west along Highway 401 – the Highway of Heroes – to Toronto and the coroner’s office.

“The repatriation ceremony is not an age old tradition,” Scott Taylor, publisher of Esprit de Corps, said. The procedure of bringing home the body of a fallen soldier started after the Korean War, and the ceremonial salute from civilians began with the mission in Afghanistan.

North York resident Norval Porter had been waiting for 45 minutes to pay his respects. “I think I have been at this position at least six times … each time I came I feel emotion, sometimes I cried because it is because of us why this soldier died, and it brings out feelings,” he said.

As westbound traffic on the 401 started to lighten, whispers began to fade and silence fell upon the bridge. The motorcade was in sight. Bagpiper Gerry Ward picked up his instrument and started to play. The first OPP car passed, then the next and soon the procession was out of sight.

Videography by Jeffrey Sze, Toronto Observer

Many of the people on the bridge waited more than three hours for that short moment. Katherine Gordon was one of them. “My grandfather died in the First World War so I think Canadians might not understand that level of loss so that’s why I think it’s important that we support when one of our soldiers fall,” she said.

“I feel that we have to lose so many members of the armed forces continually when we thought the conflict was over, and it keeps dragging on. This should not have happened,” Ward said after putting his bagpipes away.

About this article

By: Sayada Nabi and Jeffrey Sze
Posted: Mar 10 2015 10:47 pm
Edition:
Filed under: News
Multimedia:
Topics:

1 Comment on "Paying respects to Sgt. Doiron from the Victoria Park overpass"

  1. Noella Fougere | March 12, 2015 at 11:42 pm |

    Our hearts are heavy thinking about your family and the pain you must be going through at this time ,as we are part of the military family with our sons ,and we can,t imagine loosing one of our sons.you have to be very proud of him and he is one of our canadian heros.may GOD help you get through this and may he keep you in his care .your family will keep great memories forever.with friendship and love ………Roger and Noella Fougere Moncton,New Brunswick

Comments are closed.