'Her father was a hero'

A few days ago, I posted about the three latest of our Canadian heroes, who gave their all for a better future for the children of Afghanistan. You can find that post here.

Every one of our fallen is loved by someone. Every one of our heroes is a son or daughter, a father or mother, a husband or wife, or a brother or sister, etc etc; you get the idea... Without exception, these men and women, who give their all serving their country, are LOVED. We, the general public, usually only have a brief glimpse of the private lives and loves, as the media zoom in on grieving family members at the funerals. Yesterday I came across an article that I want to share with you.

From Canadian Armed Forces Blogger comes this:

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

'Her father was a hero'

Family grieves
Daughter of fallen soldier to be on tarmac today

By MICHAEL STAPLES, The Daily Gleaner

A little girl's image of her father can be a powerful sight.

For four-year-old Annabelle, it promises to be a snapshot that will stay with her for the rest of her life.

She will be on the tarmac later today at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario with her mother, Heather Peace.

They will pay respects to her father, Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, and two others killed over the weekend in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan.

The plane carrying the bodies of the fallen soldiers is scheduled to land at Trenton at around noon local time.

"I think that since she is his daughter, she should be there," Peace, Hamilton's ex-wife, said in an interview Monday. "Even though she doesn't quite understand yet, it will mean a lot later on.
"We'll make sure that Annabelle knows her father was a hero...."

Hamilton was due to fly back to Canada on Christmas Day for several days of leave.

"We were looking forward to seeing him again at Christmas," Peace said.

"He was looking forward to coming back at Christmas to see Annabelle. He had bought skates for Annabelle, so we were going to take her skating for her first time over the holidays.

"It's going to be a big hard thing to deal with."...

Most of my readers are very well aware of the young families who mourn the loss. This article is a must read, truly. Go here to read the rest.

RODNEY LEBLANC HANDOUT/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, right, holds an Afghan flag atop a peak in Afghanistan with his colleague Rodney LeBlanc in May 2007. Hamilton, Pte. Justin Peter Jones and Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin, based at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, were killed Dec. 13, 2008 in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb.(source)