Tomorrow a public funeral will be held for Canada's latest young soldier . It is with sadness the family says farewell to their loved one. However the show of public support will ease the pain. Cpl Fitzpatrick died during service in Afghanistan. He is another of the men and women who have paid the ultimate price. May his family realise how much he is loved both by his brother's in arms as well as Canadians from all walks of life.
Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick died Saturday after being wounded during a patrol near Kandahar on March 6.(Department of National Defence)
A public funeral for the Canadian soldier who died March 20 at the University of Alberta hospital from injuries he sustained in Afghanistan will be held in Edmonton on Saturday.
Cpl. Darren James Fitzpatrick, 21, was injured on March 6 by a improvised explosive device during a patrol in the Zhari district, west of the city of Kandahar.
Fitzpatrick is originally from Prince George B.C., but his family decided to have the funeral in Edmonton, where his colleagues are stationed, said Lt.-Col. Peter Dawe, the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
We hope that you will join us, Dawe said. Nothing will bring Darren back but a display of solidarity would certainly help a family who need to be reminded that their country appreciates those young Canadians who chose to lay their lives on the line in the pursuit of a better and more just world.
The funeral will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph's Basilica, just west of downtown.
Rest in peace young Soldier your Duty done
I cannot express my disgust and shame on certain professors from the University of Regina.
A scholarship program for the children of dead soldiers is raising questions among some professors at the University of Regina.
They say they're concerned about Project Hero, a program that pays the tuition of students who have had a parent die while on military duty for Canada.
More than 80 universities and colleges in Canada have committed to the project, which pays for four years of tuition, plus $1,000 for books.
U of R president Vianne Timmons announced two weeks ago the university would provide the scholarship, but that has led to a campus controversy.
Sixteen professors have signed a letter to Timmons stating the program glorifies military action and they don't want their school to be part of it.
Below are those who signed the open letter: SHAME ! SHAME ! SHAME Signatures: Joyce Green, Department of Political Science J.F. Conway, Department of Sociology and Social Studies George Buri, Department of History Emily Eaton, Department of Geography Jeffery R. Webber, Department of Political Science David Webster, International Studies Annette Desmarais, International Studies Darlene Juschka, Womens and Gender Studies and Religious Studies Meredith Rogers Cherland, Faculty of Education Garson Hunter, Social Work John W. Warnock, Department of Sociology and Social Studies William Arnal, Department of Religious Studies Leesa Streifler, Department of Visual Arts Carol Schick, Faculty of Education Ken Montgomery, Faculty of Education Andr Magnan, Department of Sociology and Social Studies
{These 16 so called Academics need to understand the pain that they are regenerating for familes that have lost a mother or father in the service of Canada. Perhaps they should go back to their HIPPIE days and protest everything. I am personally and thoroughly disgusted with their actions. I do realise that freedom of speech is part of what our soldiers died defending, but I feel that this is disgusting} This is my opinion as a Canadian and as a Vetrean, not the newspapers.
Among those with concerns is Jeffrey Webber, who teaches political science and who says the name of the program celebrates military intervention abroad.
We think this is a glorification of the Afghan effort, he said.We think this program is a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan, said Jeffrey Webber, political science teacher and one of 16 U of R professors who drafted an open letter to U of R President Vianne Timmons stating their concerns.
{ For this professors information this has nothing to do with Glorifying the Afghan Effort SHAME on you.} Group proposes alternative
Webber said it's not that they are against helping the children of the Canadian military.
Why stop at the question of dependents of Canadian Forces personnel? There's all kinds of people who are killed in workplace accidents, he said.
As an alternative to the program, the group says there should be universal access to post-secondary education.{ Certainly that would be wonderful get of your soap box get elected and make it happen}
The program was started about a year ago by Toronto businessman Kevin Reed and retired general Rick Hillier.
We just thought it was the right thing to do for these men and women in uniform, said Reed, who's an honorary lieutenant-colonel of the military's Canadian Brigade Group service units.
Reed said he's never heard of any kind of protest associated with the program. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/03/24/sk-scholarship-1003.html#ixzz0jD6TAanA
Readers I urge you to send a comment and I will insure that they get to the University. Thank you. Please show your support by wearing something Red Today Thank You.
Nil Sine labore
Robby
