May he rest in peace

The twang of a lone bagpipe filled the solemn Afghan air as the coffin draped in a Canadian flag made it’s way past thousands of military members — The final journey home for one man who “Made the ultimate sacrifice to bring peace and well being to Afghanistan.”

As we stood at attention, rendering the last salute to this fallen comrade, I couldn’t help but think about the sacrifice we all make to keep our countries safe –fighting to bring stability to this war-torn country.

But at that moment, it didn’t matter what country we represented or what uniform we wore — the brave men and women I stood next to were joined in unison to pay respects to this man and others before him. It’s a fate we all know could fall on us, and yet we continue to serve because the freedom we cherish back home is worth dying for.

As I held my salute, the coffin slowly passing by, I prayed silently for this man’s family and that they could find some peace in knowing what their son had done for not only Canada, but for every single nation joined together against this global war on terror.

Rest in peace Private Alexandre Péloquin. Our prayers are with your family.

To read more about Pte. Péloquin, click here.