The Portrait of Honour tour is travelling across Canada for the first time and making a stop in Prince George.
The 50-foot long portrait was designed with the goal of making Canadians remember troops that have died in Afghanistan.
"We get to live the life we do because for generations now, men and women have chosen to serve... and given up their lives so that we can live in the Canada that we live in today. How fitting for me to be sitting on Parliament Hill [in Ottawa] and I get to participate in democracy because young men and women do what they do for us," said Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond.
"[Flag poles] will be mounted along the parade route which is from the legion to the plaza, so there will be 156 flags, and on each one there will be the name of a fallen soldier," said Ranjit Gill, the local organizer.
The flags will be mounted on top of flag poles built by Jim Fitzpatrick, the father of Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick who died on March 20, 2010 in Afghanistan.
"It will be a sea of red and white," said Gill.
Sponsorship of the full-sized Canadian flags is available.
The Portrait of Honour was painted by Dave Sopha, a member of the Canadian Navy in the 1970s.
The mural is 10-feet tall and 40-feet wide, featuring portraits of the 156 Canadian soldiers, sailors and aircrew who lost their lives in Afghanistan.
"He's [Dave Sopha] always felt Canadians should have more pride in the military. When he was serving, people would pat him on the back and buy him a cup of coffee. And in the last 20 years it wasn't that way anymore," said tour supervisor Jessilyn Yuhas.
The tour will be stopping in more than 100 different communities, and dates are still being added to the tour. Every community is putting on a different kind of event to honour the fallen soldiers.
"We at Portrait of Honour don't put on events, we attend events. We've had everything from a black tie gala, to an afternoon barbecue, to a formal military fanfare. Many places will do a police escort into town," said Yuhas.
The event in Prince George will be at the Civic Plaza with an unveiling of the mural at noon. The mural will be packed up and moved to the World Baseball Challenge at Citizen Field for the evening.
Our whole mission and our hope is it will be a catalyst for communities to put on events and raise awareness. We are hoping to be an excuse for communities to get out and honour our troops, said Yuhas.
"[The tour] has been incredible so far. It's overwhelming and more than any of us thought could happen this early on. We always talk about the Terry Fox run and how it took until he was halfway across the country before he got any attention and we got it right out of the gate. When you see the persons name on the wall you realize the person had hopes and dreams. It really resonates with people," said Yuhas.
"I certainly hope people are willing to help by sponsoring a flag. It's also really important for the families who live in Prince George, but there are [more than] 40 families who have loved ones that are serving and I'm so deeply moved by their gift - in this case their lives," said Bond.
The portrait will be at the Civic Centre on July 13.
For more information on how to purchase one of the flags contact Ranjit Gill at the Central British Columbia Railway & Forest Industry Museum Society at 250-563-7351.
