Group seeks volunteers for walk honouring Indigenous veterans

Retired Master Cpl. Collin Fitzgerald returned from Afghanistan in 2006 with demons which continue to haunt him. Medication has helped steady post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but his mental health remains fragile. The last decade has been tough for Fitzgerald, but one way he keeps standing tall is to continue to serve his country in an honourable way by acknowledging the service and sacrifice of veterans from coast to coast. Fitzgerald and his friend and surety Kerri Tadeu co-founded the organization SerViCe & SacriFice (soldier, veteran, civilian, fallen) and have organized events across Canada, reaching 600 veterans and families of the fallen. The two will co-host a Devotion to Duty Ceremony on the grounds of the Ste-Anne Hospital in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, on Sept. 9. To complete the walk, 79 volunteers are needed to help the 79 wheelchair-bound veterans, while another 40 are needed to help carry a 40-foot Canadian flag. Citizen, veteran, cadet and serving-military volunteers are welcome. The 1.58 kilometres acknowledges the 158 Canadian soldiers who died while serving in Afghanistan. Retired Gen. Walter Natynczyk and the deputy minister of veterans affairs will be in attendance. The walk will honour Canada’s 150th birthday with a specific focus on Indigenous veterans. Fitzgerald served with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and received the Medal of Military Valour for actions under fire. The walk is at the Ste-Anne Hospital, 305 Blvd. des Anciens-Combattants from 2:30 to 4 p.m. To register as a volunteer, email svc@cogeco.ca or call 613-539-1312.