Location: United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
N 45.145520 W -74.504057
Corner of Military Road North and MacDonald Street, beside the Legion.
This memorial is a fairly recent addition, standing beside the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 544 in the village of Lancaster. The focus of the memorial is a de-commissioned LAV III armoured vehicle with a plaque honouring all those who served in Afghanistan. Also on the site is a stone pillar with a plaque to honour Sgt. Marc. D. Leger, who was killed in Afghanistan, along with three other soldiers, in a controversial friendly fire incident by an American fighter plane. The memorial is lighted by LED lighting from dusk to dawn, to remind all who pass of the sacrifices made in the cause of freedom.
Thank you to fellow researcher Louise Bellec for the photos.
The following article is borrowed from http://www.projectheroes.ca
Sergeant Marc Leger
March 26, 1973 - April 7, 2002
Hometown: Lancaster, Ontario
Unit: 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Sgt. Marc Leger’s laugh could be heard a mile away! A huge, heartfelt
laugh as big as the man himself. At 6’4” with a zest for life he was
hard to miss. Wise and thoughtful for his age, people were drawn to
Marc. Maybe they knew he was the real deal, how he lived his life fully,
or the fact he was a true friend, devoted husband, true romantic, who
loved life, his job, his family, and his yellow lab Hunter, who was
never far from his side.
Marc enlisted at 19 years of age. His career with the 3PPCLI and Canadian Airborne was a huge sense of pride for him.
In February 2002, Marc was deployed to Afghanistan. Two months later,
on April 17, 2002, Leger along with three other soldiers became
Canada’s first deaths in Afghanistan and the first in a combat zone
since the Korean War. Eight others were injured that night. Marc was 29.
In the days that followed Canada learned more about how much Marc
cared for others. It was on display during his work as a peacekeeper in
the Livno Valley, Bosnia. The area had been ethnically cleansed and
those who remained were living in horrid conditions. Marc and his unit
started harassing the company commander for resources. He took leftover
food, water and building supplies and made sure they were given to the
people of the valley. By the time his tour was done the people of the
Livno Valley had livable homes again and Marc had a new nickname. The
people of the Livno Valley called him “King Marco.”
For his work in Bosnia, Marc was awarded the Deputy Chief of Defence
Staff Commendation. He was also awarded the South West Asia Medal and
United States Bronze star posthumously.
Marc wanted to experience everything life had to offer and one of the
ways he did that was by traveling. He loved to see the world in ways
others wouldn’t or couldn’t. As a result, no matter where he was he was
surrounded by people who wanted to be near him and experience his way of
living life. Fully. Completely.
A full life in 29 years. He knew that…and admitted it in the summer
of 2001 when he said, “If I died tomorrow, I’ve done so much. I’ve lived
so much and had such a full life. I’d die happy.”
By J’lyn Nye
Marker text:
LAV plaque:
In recognition and memory of the efforts of approximately
40,000
Canadian Armed Forces personnel who served and
the 162 Canadians who
died in the cause of bring peace
and freedom to the people of
Afghanistan.
2001 - 2014
En mémoire et en reconnaissance des efforts des
quelque
40 000 membres des Forces armées canadiennes qui ont
servi en
Afghanistan et des 162 Canadiens qui sont morts
pour la cause de la paix
et de la liberté du peuple afghan.
Pillar plaque:
(Legion crest)
THIS PLACE OF REMEMBRANCE
IS DEDICATED TO A
NATIVE SON OF LANCASTER
SGT. MARC D. LEGER
3RD BATTALION PPCLI
KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN - APRIL 2002
"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
Artwork by Cindy Revell
