QUESTIONS Asked |DIPLO M ATICA
me with pride — because they had the equipment and the skills to persevere in difficult circumstances. Or on one visit, I’d just done a town hall meeting when the alarm went up. Suicide car bomb. A suicide bomber had walked into a nearby town and all eight casualties were rolling in, from young children to elderly citizens. They rolled into the medical clinic and these guys were doing a great job. Or last Christmas Eve, I was standing on the turret of a tank. It was midnight. And there are two sergeants who had volunteered to do duty so the young privates and corporals could sleep on Christmas eve. I had (Secretary of State for Sport) Gary Lunn, (MP) Laurie Hawn and U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson with me and Minister Lunn was giving out Olympic mittens. So you have these two wonderful warriors getting their mittens. That same evening, I was brushing my teeth — in this makeshift bathroom —- with (Calgary Herald reporter) Michelle Lang. She gave us a good hard interview on Boxing Day and then I left. She had accompanied me on Christmas Day. We [visited] five operating bases on Christmas day. Three were Canadian bases and two were American bases where there were a significant number of Canadians. [Four days later, Michelle Lang was killed when the armoured vehicle she was riding in struck a roadside bomb. She was the first Canadian journalist to be killed in Afghanistan. Four Canadian soldiers were killed in the same blast.] DM: Describe a day when you lose a sol-
dier.
WN: There’s no worse day for me. There’s
no worse duty anyone has than calling a grieving mom, a grieving spouse, a grieving father and then standing in Trenton [waiting for arrival of the casket.] But we have to all be strong because we have a duty on behalf of Canada to provide support to the family, to show that Canada shares in the family’s grief. At the same time, we need to provide support to these families on the worst possible days of their lives. So while there’s grief, we have to put our game face on. I am just so proud of all the Canadians who line the highways, whether it be the 401 or the road from the airport to Val Cartier or the road from the airport to Steele Barracks in Edmonton. Or any of the small communities coast to coast where [people pay tribute]. It makes you proud to be Canadian. D diplomat and international canada
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Canadian Club of Ottawa Luncheon Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Speaker: Dr. Sherry Cooper, Executive Vice-President and Chief Economist, BMO Financial Group Tuesday, February 8, 2011 Speaker: Galen G. Weston Executive Chairman Loblaw Companies Limited Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Speaker: Rick Hansen President and CEO, Rick Hansen Foundation All luncheons take place at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier at noon, for a 12:15 start. For more information, or to purchase a ticket, visit www.canadianclubottawa.ca
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