First you hear the rumble.
Then come the feelings – the pride, the respect and the gratitude as the motorcycles come into view.
It’s a long line of riders. They’ve come to pay respect to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in war and conflict, and to support those who came back home but whose battles have gone on.
The annual Darren Williams Memorial Ride from Digby to the Afghanistan Memorial at Maple Grove Education Centre, in Hebron, Yarmouth County, took place Saturday. It is a meaningful part of the Wharf Rat Rally.
Darren Williams was a Master Corporal in the Royal Canadian Air Force. During his last posting at Trenton in 2015, he was leading a group of Canadian Army Veteran riders on a ride when a car crossed into their lane, killing him and Corporal Edgar Boone and injuring others.
Chris ‘Red’ Hatton, of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit (CAV), described Williams as an outgoing person, a family man and someone who dedicated well above his 100 per cent to the CAV. He was also a past board member of the Wharf Rat Rally and was instrumental in starting these memorial rides to the Afghanistan memorial.
The memorial at Maple Grove came about due to the hard work and dedication of students and parents of the former Maple Grove Memorial Club and their adviser Joe Bishara. Carved on the memorial are the names of Canadians who died serving in Afghanistan. For members of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit and others who take part in this memorial ride each year, many names are familiar.
They were comrades.
They were friends.
Sean Kenney, the principal of the junior high school, welcomed those who took part in the ride and shared a personal connection his family has to the names on the memorial.
“My brother is an active service member, serving as a captain in the air force at Trenton,” he said, noting during a visit in July his brother came out to the school with him. Kenney knew the memorial would be meaningful to his brother who has done three tours in Afghanistan. “It was pouring rain that night . . . He stood in the rain for 10 or 15 minutes looking it over. He made significant personal connection with the names there.”
The Aug. 31 ceremony at the memorial was led by the Wedgeport Royal Canadian Legion Branch 155, with some local cadets also taking part.
André Boudreau of the Wedgeport Legion shared some sad and tragic statistics as he spoke of how the list of war casualties of continues to increase “as many of our friends succumb to the depression and hopelessness known as post traumatic stress disorder.”
He said in a study of 31 Afghanistan veterans who took their own lives, 14 had been diagnosed with PTSD, while family members saw symptoms in another 10. Twenty-two had received mental health treatment after their deployments.
Twelve had taken their lives within two years of returning from their last tour. Seventeen were fathers, leaving 40 children fatherless. “They are lost in a word where they feel alone and helpless with nowhere to turn,” he said.
But part of the ceremony focused on letting people know there is somewhere to turn to. Boudreau turned the microphone over to Johan Grundy of Rally Point Retreat. The retreat in Sable River, Shelburne County, owned and operated by Johan and her husband Bob, offers a quiet, safe and relaxing environment for those facing struggles. PTSD, the couple says, should never be fought alone.
Memorial ride participants made a donation to the retreat.
“Thank you so much for supporting rally point retreat and what we are trying to do, and succeeding to do, to help families and the persons with PTSD, whether it’s from military service or a first responder, a 911 operator or a journalist. Trauma is trauma,” she said.
“What we want to make sure is if you’re not feeling quite right, if you’re quick to anger, quick to emotion, talk to somebody. Don’t keep it in because if you keep it in it’s going to come out at a really inopportune time and your family is going to be sitting back wondering what the hell is happening,” she added.
“They just want you safe. They just want you as close as who you used to be as possible. ... If you’re not sure, get help. If you have a loved one that you’re not sure about, get them help. We don’t want any more suicides. We don’t want any more families breaking up.”
The Rev. Bill Newell invited those at the ceremony to join him in prayer, not just to remember those who fallen, but to support those who continue to suffer the scars of war and to offer comfort to families for their losses.
