Losing One of Our Own
Innisfil Scope
December 10, 2008
by Peter Van Loan, MP, York-Simcoe
Last week I was again saddened to hear of
the death of three more brave Canadians in
Afghanistan. But this time it was
different. One of the lost soldiers
came from York-Simcoe.
Warrant Officer Robert Wilson of Keswick had
spent over two decades in the service of his
country. He started as a young Cadet
while still in school.
We are accustomed to seeing these fine young
men and women as cadets at our Remembrance
Day observances. In Robert Wilson's
case, it was the start of a lifetime of
service to his country.
Wilson joined the Regular Armed Forces in
1989, upon finishing school. His service is
a metaphor for the proud military tradition
of our country. Many like to think of
our Soldiers as peacekeepers helping people
who need our help. Indeed we do that.
But the missions Canadians assume are not
boy scout outings - they are dangerous.
Our soldier’s do the work that soldiers are
expected to do.
And in the case of Canada, our tradition is
to do so around the world, in far-away
lands, helping out our fellow man, as we
seek to advance those Canadian values of
freedom, human rights, democracy and the
rule of law. It is a tradition our
soldiers undertake at great risk to
themselves.
Robert Wilson saw his earliest combat
service in the first Gulf War, where
Canadians were among the countries that
fought to liberate Kuwait after the Iraqi
invasion and occupation.
Wilson went on to do tours of duty in
Croatia, in Bosnia and in Serbia through the
1990's. Again, these were dangerous missions
- where Canadians were seeking to improve
parts of the world far from our own shores.
Warrant Officer Wilson was in the midst of
his second tour of duty in Afghanistan last
week. A member of the Petawawa-based
Royal Canadian Regiment, Wilson and two
others in the same armoured vehicle lost
their lives to an improvised explosive
device - detonated by a cowardly Taliban
insurgency engaging in terror tactics,
rather than meeting their foe directly in
the field of battle.
Wilson has much family in York-Simcoe,
including his mother in his hometown of
Keswick. She speaks with pride of how
committed Robert Wilson was to the mission
in Afghanistan, and how strongly he believed
in the work he was doing to help the people
of that country take control of their
homelands, and rebuild it. It is not
surprising to hear he felt that way, after
two decades of service.
For a century, Canadians have sacrificed
life, limb and treasure to help those around
the world in troubled times to gain their
freedom. In World War I and World War
II, Canadians proved to be great fighters -
doing more than their share of the hard work
of fighting tyranny and oppression.
It was the tradition which Robert Wilson
followed so bravely around the world for so
many years wearing the Canadian Maple Leaf
on his shoulder.
It was the cause of freedom, and commitment
to his fellow man for whom he laid down his
life.
We owe Warrant Officer Robert Wilson our
gratitude and thanks - and our resolve to
always remember him and the sacrifice he has
made.
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