Ottawa, Sunday, November 11, 2012

November 11th is the weightiest date on the calendar of Canadian life. It is a day that forces us to make sense of a thick tangle of feelings and thoughts—many of them in conflict.

We commemorate the valiant acts of our citizens, even as we recoil from the horrors of war.

We honour the sacrifices of our fighting men and women. And we pledge to work harder to make a world in which such selflessness is needed no longer.

We recall struggles of the past that have shaped us as a people and a nation. Yet we long for a future in which peace reigns over all peoples and all nations for all time.

On this day, across our country and in this room, we acknowledge the bittersweet mix of agonizing pride and unquenchable sorrow that lies in the hearts of Canada’s mothers whose sons and daughters have perished to war.

Roxanne Priede stands today as our country’s symbol of these mothers. As this year’s Silver Cross Mother, Mrs. Priede, you represent a motherhood of all colours, languages, religions and regions.

It is a motherhood as richly diverse as Canada itself, and one that bonds generations of our countrywomen—back to 1942 when the Royal Canadian Legion first chose for all of Canada the National Silver Cross Mother.

It is also a motherhood tragically united by service and sacrifice. For that service, for that sacrifice, we salute you, Mrs. Priede, and—through you—all mothers of our fallen.

Yet you are more than a mere symbol. You are Darrell’s mother. While every soul in our nation on this day pays silent tribute to Darrell, you—more than anyone else—know the vivid humanity that glowed within him. He is neither number, nor rank, nor uniform.

Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede is a man—a husband, brother, grandson, uncle, nephew, cousin, son. Your son.

Like us all, he was blessed to live in a country in which peace prevails; a country in which the pursuit of peace is a cherished value; a country that does not countenance aggression; and, therefore, a country in which valorous men and women rise up and leave our shores to counter aggression, overcome oppression and restore peace where it has crumbled.

Darrell’s life is a testament to valour in the pursuit of peace. He—like all of his fallen comrades—rose above his own self-interest to serve a cause greater than himself.

He served twice in Bosnia as a gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery. He journeyed to Afghanistan as a photographer with the Air Force to allow others to see a torn world through his lens. After only a month there, he perished as his helicopter crashed during a major offensive strike against the Taliban.

On that day, Mrs. Priede, your son was taken from you and from Angela, to whom Darrell was married for only four short years.

Mrs. Priede, we—the grateful citizens of Canada—owe you a debt we can never repay. Today, with the sacrifice of your son fresh on our hearts, I—as Canada’s governor general and commander-in-chief, on behalf of all Canadians—offer you this medal, this token of our esteem and our understanding.

We ask that you accept this honour and carry this burden for all mothers of the fallen. Have courage to rise through your sorrow. And remember—from time to time—the sincere, uncomplicated gratitude of our nation.

Thank you.