Coalhurst soldier guest of honour
Every year for a week leading up to Remembrance Day, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer (CAFCWO) select a member of the Canadian Armed Forces to be a guest of honour to accompany them during the Remembrance Day ceremonies located at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
This year the CDS, General Jonathan Vance and the CAFCWO, Chief Warrant Officer Alain Guimond chose Sergeant (Sgt.) Jeremy Joseph James Leblanc from Coalhurst to be their guest.
Created in 1998, the Remembrance Day Sentry Program recognizes outstanding Regular and Reserve Force sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen of the CAF, and a member of the RCMP, for their dedication, professionalism and performance. Participation in this program is a unique experience for those selected.
Typically, the member who is chosen by the CDS and the CAFCWO is a soldier who has displayed exemplary conduct on and off duty and has been wounded in the course of action on a tour overseas.
Sergeant (Sgt.) Leblanc currently serves in the first battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment (1 RCR). He grew up in Coalhurst, attending Coalhurst High School and playing a lot of soccer and hockey. It was travel and a sense of adventure that drew him to join the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000.
After completing his Basic Infantry Qualification, he was posted to 1 RCR where he deployed to Bosnia, Afghanistan and, most recently, to Ukraine. It was in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in October 2006 that he was injured. During a coordinated direct enemy attack on their strong point along route Summit, Sgt. Leblanc was hit by shrapnel from an enemy rocketpropelled grenade.
An avid fisherman, he lives in Petawawa with his wife, Melissa, and their sons, Cooper and Parker.