Lt. Justin Boyes, cortege, Span Bridge over Don Valley Park Way, Toronto, ON, approx. 4:35 pm October 31, 2009, 10 minutes from destination on Grosvenor Street, Downtown Toronto.
I'm sure you saw those hands out of the limo windows like I did today, Ray.
They were damn glad to see you on the bridge. I guarantee that all military families are well aware of the Highway of Heroes phenomenon. Can you imagine if people didn't show up?
As a Vet of the CF ( 23 yrs ) and at home while my significant other is 'there' and in the few days she's been there has attended two Ramp Ceremonies.... I thank all of you who stand on a bridge or roadside and pay your respects.
As a Vet of the CF ( 23 yrs ) and at home while my significant other is 'there' and in the few days she's been there has attended two Ramp Ceremonies.... I thank all of you who stand on a bridge or roadside and pay your respects.
69AKDN, Thank you, and your wife, for your service to this great country. You're worth more than all those politicians in Ottawa.
67HEAVEN wrote: I'm sure you saw those hands out of the limo windows like I did today, Ray.
Yes I did Bob, you can see them in my pictures if you look closely, that touched me more than anything.
The OPP hands off the cortege to Toronto Police once it exits the 401 to head south on the Don Valley Park way into Downtown Toronto.
All of a suden the bumper to bumper southbound Saturday afternoon traffic disappears and a road way that is never empty draws quiet, all the on ramps have been blocked. We join a diverse group of Canadians on the bridge, most everyone has a flag. I see an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, Police and EMS, Legion members, white, brown and yellow Canadian faces, young and old. I am there with my Daughter 22 and Son 20.
Wait 10 minutes in silence, Then an advance slick top Crown Vic, grille stobes flashing appears from the bend, a blip on the siren as he acknowledges us on the bridge and whoosh as he flys by at what I suspect is 60 or 70 over in the centre lane, quickly two motormen appear, flashing strobes, their left hands rise from the handlebars to acknowledge us, the sirens blip once again, three more waves of three abreast motormen appear and they each repeat the same ritual as the first two. These will form the escort from the highway through the streets of Toronto, blocking intersections and stopping traffic on the way.
Another 5 minutes passes then two lead Crown Vic's appear, the third car to appear is a white Cadillac limousine, Govenor General Michaelle Jean. Once again the sirens of the lead cars blip as they pass.
Following closely is the hearse and family limousines. The windows roll down and the hands appear, car after car, a lump in my throat as I return their waves.
Then the last three cars pass, Toronto Police Suburbans and a Crown Vic. A gap then three abreast Crown Vic's appear, blip from the sirens, a gap and three more abreast pacing the busy Saturday afternoon traffic behind them, sirens blip and the horns honk as the traffic resumes it pace.
We linger a moment, The Police officers and EMS personnel on the bridge return to their cars, we turn and walk away in silence. No one speaks as we drive home, only a 3 or 4 minute drive but the silence marks the moment - sadness, respect and gratitude.
as per normal i'll be on the ontario st overpass in cobourg
Steve,
Good on ya. I was two bridges down from you. Had a real time hanging on to my large flag in all that wind.
The local legion were down a couple members today, they took notice that i was wearing my UN beret and asked me to hold the big UN flag in their Honour Guard.
The local legion were down a couple members today, they took notice that i was wearing my UN beret and asked me to hold the big UN flag in their Honour Guard.
Here is a shot from Downtown Toronto, not my picture. The cortege's final destination is the Chief Coroners building where official procedures, reports and documentation are prepared. The Coroner's office is in the heart of Downtown Toronto, a place where hustle and bustle is the norm. A stopped car can cause kaos on a normal day. You get the idea, even the largest city is Canada, often maligned, takes pause in respect.
These photos (not mine) have been around for a couple of years, and tell the story from the perspective of those inside the cortège. This is what the families see. This is what 10's of thousands of motorists see in the one-to-two hours that people on the bridges wait for the cortège to pass.
Witness the support given to our troops by the people of Ontario. It matters not if the fallen hero is from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec or any other part of this great country. The turnout is the same for each and every one.............solid.
From Trenton through Northumberland County and Durham Region, to (as Ray mentioned) the Chief Coroner's Office in Toronto. If ever the families wondered if Canadians took note of the passing of their loved one.........they don't wonder after that trip.
Bob, any word on Sapper Marshall's repatriation? I'm ashamed that I have never gone before Saturday for Lt. Boyes, the bridge I went to is even closer to my office. It's hard to explain, you will undersatand I am sure. After going Saturday I now know that I must do whatever possible to get there for all the rest.
Is there an online map that shows the route? Thanks for sharing the photos Ray. It's very moving to see this. Where does one go to find out when the motorcade will be going through?
The two hour trip leaves Trenton between 2:45 and 3:15 pm, depending on number of fallen arriving together. Goes through Northumberland County, then Durham Region, and finally enters Toronto and drops down the DVP from the 401, arriving at the Coroner's Office sometime after 5:00.
I just looked out my office window and it's 4:40 pm. With the time change it is now dark in Toronto. Based on the timing of Saturday's cortege, Sapper Marshall will be coming through here in darkness tomorrow. I am sure that will be an entirely different experience to witness that. Forecast calls for showers too, but I am going and I'm going to take whoever I can from my office with me. As Bob has pointed out so many times the gratitude from the families and everyone in the cortege transcends from the cars below, it's an incredible feeling actually. Joining all the others on that bridge I am so proud to be Canadian.
.....Sapper Marshall will be coming through here in darkness tomorrow. I am sure that will be an entirely different experience........
Surreal, Ray. That's what it was for me when I saw my first night-time cortège.
When you see the lead cars come around the bend, with the reds & blues flashing, you'll notice the headlights flashing too. And every car's headlights (hearse, limos, military staff, etc.) are also flashing; something that is much less visible in daylight. As we get closer to December 21st, it'll be darker and darker by the time they get to your position in Toronto. All processions used to happen in the evening, but I believe they moved them earlier when families said they wanted to see the people on the bridges.
I'll never forget seeing six of the fallen and all their families and support vehicles coming at me in a nighttime procession. There must have been 25 vehicles with all lights flashing. The impact (and the loss) was mind-numbing.
I know we seem to go on and on in this thread, but once you've experienced a repatriation, you want others to as well, even vicariously.
Here's an interesting perspective from a family member. =====================================================
A note from Tim McGrath (father of the wife of Cpl. Jordan Anderson, who was one of the six killed in Afghanistan on July 4, 2007.):
"Our family was in one of those limousines in the motorcade. I would like to say thank you to each and every person on every bridge.
As the motorcade pulled out of CFB Trenton and made its way towards Hwy 401, the driver of the limousine said "Watch the overheads." We had no idea! It was comforting, and everyone in the limo was truly impressed.
The army Padre riding with the family said " Look, all these people are out here for Jordan, to say Thank You, because to them, he is a hero." That trip down Hwy. 401 was one of the most moving moments. It made us realize that "our heroes" were also heroes to everyday Canadians.
We saw children waving flags, we saw old ladies with their hand over their hearts, we saw veterans standing in salute, we saw moms and dads with their children. Some bridges were so full, people were lining up on the ramps on both sides of the highway.
We saw the firetrucks on every bridge with firefighters standing in salute, we saw the ambulances, we saw the police cruisers. Close to 50 bridges, a worthy tribute to our heroes! One of the drivers in the limousine took a video as we passed under the overhead bridges, as everyday Canadians took a moment and paid tribute to our Afghanistan heroes.
The funeral director gave us a copy of the video. We made sure that the soldier who accompanied our fallen soldiers home, could get a copy to bring back to Afghanistan and show it to the other soldiers.
Again, I want to say thank you to each and every person who comes out and supports our soldiers. The families of the soldiers truly appreciate the outpouring of emotion, knowing they have lost a cherished member of the family, but that everyday Canadians appreciate that the soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice. We hold our head up proudly, just now our eyes are filled with tears." ==========================================================
I encourage you all to get to a bridge whenever possible.
I went out on a limb today and sent my story posted above along with the photos to all the Canadian staff at the organization where I work.
The e-mail responses I received back were very emotional, but I can tell you how very much the people I work with appreciated me sharing this with them. Our CEO even flipped my email to all the members of the Board.
I have to thank Bob and Steve for all their posts on this topic that finally I got up off my duff to take 30 minutes out of my life to pay my respects. We have a lifetime more of 30 minutes because of the sacrifices made by those we honour now and those that went before.
Remembrance Day is approaching. There will be a service in every town in Canada, from the samllest to the largest. On November 11th we will all get our chance to support our troops, please don't let it pass this year unnoticed.
