It takes a Canadian hero to know one, although it's the last title one Canadian serviceman would ever give himself.
Sgt. Brent Schriner is driving across most of Canada (he is stationed in Ontario) behind the wheel of one of the 10 Canadian Heroes vehicles in the country. Each one is on a mission to visit military families related to the casualties of war. Canadian Heroes also takes part in fundraising efforts to enshrine the memories of veterans lost in recent combat.
For the first time, one of those vehicles has come through northern B.C. Three former Prince George residents died during the conflict in Afghanistan: Cpl. Matthew McCully, Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick and journalist Michelle Lang.
"I met with members of the Fitzpatrick and the McCully families," said Schriner. "We chatted for about three hours about their sons and the contributions to what was done in Afghanistan. We were very emotional at times. We also went to visit Darren's park [Bravery Park on Glenview Drive in the Hart] and got pictures of the two families with the truck."
"It went really well, it was a really good connection," said Ron McCully, father of Matthew, following the fellowship. "Spending that time together was so positive and yet the tears were flowing. And all of us were nervous at first. And for me, it really helped to see the Fitzpatricks again; it's easy to feel alone when you're still suffering. We're all still suffering. It's a pretty small family we [surviving families] belong to."
Some of the meetings are more personal than others. Schriner is a medic for the 32nd Canadian Forces Health Services-Toronto unit, serving in both the Balkan and the Afghanistan combat zones, so he knows the grizzly realities of human conflict more than most.
"I met with the Walsh family in Regina and their son Master Corporal Jeffrey Walsh died in my arms, and that was due to friendly fire, an accidental shooting. I presented a picture I took of him two minutes before he was killed, in the LAV that got hit. That, so far, is one of the hardest days of the trip, but everywhere I go it's tough. I met the Braun family, and their son was killed on my tour, so I stopped by their place in Saskatchewan and talked to her [Braun's mother] about David, and set a wreath in the graveyard."
One of the major moments on his self-directed tour of healing is still to come. A Vancouver Island cycling race in memory of Cpl. Andrew "Boomer" Eykelenboom is circled on Schriner's calendar. Boomer was the first Canadian military medic to die in action since the Korean War.
"We are a high-value target," said Schriner. "We never wore our helmet crosses outside the wire because we were just a target. What a lot of people don't know is, outside the combat arms, the medics had the highest casualty rate than any other trade, which just goes to show you how close to the pointy end of the spear we are."
Eight died in Afghanistan, many more were injured or wounded, and many more came home with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"As a medic, I firmly believe all who went there came back with some degree of PTSD," he said. "I deal with it by talking to people. If I kept it bottled up, I don't know where I'd be right now."
A big part of this tour is to help him wrestle the demons in his own subconscious, and to open the doors of dialogue for others who want to talk.
"I made a personal promise to them [his fallen military comrades] all that I would meet with all their families, if they wanted to meet with me," he said. "I make myself available to come and chat, cry, just have a visit, whichever they want. It's a personal trip, and some closure for myself."
"He's doing this on his own dime, you know. That helps get people connected. It's another sacrifice he's making and we appreciated it," said McCully.
"My feelings and thoughts are with the families," was Schriner's reply. "I cannot imagine their loss and what they're going through even though I have lost friends and comrades. I have never lost a family member. I respectfully stand proud in honour of those families. We can't let the memories of our fallen be forgotten."
