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Topic: Cpl. Jamie Murphy, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. (Read 295 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Memorial honours fallen soldier
Cpl. Jamie Murphy's family has mixed feelings about Canada's mission in Afghanistan
PAUL BANKS
The Telegram
With a three-pillar monument just unveiled out front, in memory of her son killed in action, Alice Murphy stands inside Marian Hall, away from the hard rain which held off long enough for a ceremony Sunday, and says she now has mixed feelings about Canada's mission in Afghanistan.
Yet, she still doesn't wish the desire of a child to serve in the military on any other mother.
It was her son, Cpl. Jamie Murphy of Conception Harbour, who was the first Newfoundlander to die as part of the Canadian Force's Operation Athena.
On Sunday, a few hundred gathered in the late soldier's home town to take part of the ceremony meant to immortalize the 26-year-old.
His mother's public statements after his death in 2004 were visceral, saying then she believed Canada's troops should be pulled from Afghanistan. She also did not want her son to join the Forces and pleaded with him not to do so, despite his passion for serving.
Three years later, that has changed for her somewhat.
"I guess so. But we can't do anything about it, can we? I'll never get Jamie back, and I'd rather have Jamie back than anything here today. But I am proud; very, very proud. He was a brave boy. He helped us. We should remember him, and be better people," Alice Murphy told Transcontinental Media.
"I wouldn't want my son to go over into it. But I'm after talking to some of the boys, and they say they're doing good. Because if they weren't over there, we may all get killed. So, they'll stay there for as long as they have to, I guess."
A member of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle group, Jamie Murphy was aboard an Iltis jeep on a routine patrol less than a kilometre from the Canadian base in Kabul on Jan. 27, 2004, when a man with explosives strapped to his chest jumped aboard.
Jamie Murphy was killed instantly in the explosion that followed, while three others were injured, one of them another Newfoundlander, Cpl. Jeremy MacDonald of Burnt Islands.
Jamie Murphy was just 10 days away from finishing his six-month tour of duty.
After he graduated from high school, he applied to both the Forces and a local trade school. He decided to go with whichever entity called on him first.
He's now remembered as a devoted serviceman, who loved being a soldier.
The granite base of the memorial reads, "He gave his today for our tomorrow."
He and his girlfriend, Candace McCauley, were preparing to take possession of a house in Petawawa, Ont., when he was killed. She, along with Alice Murphy, Jamie Murphy's sister Norma, and others were part of the wreath-placing ceremony after the monument was unveiled.
John Gushue also walked with a wreath. He spearheaded the project as part of a committee that felt the community needed to honour its lost military son, and for closure.
"The most important reason was to recognize the family. It was a terrible tragedy. It took a long while to get over it. This is the final stage for them, and for the community as well. It's something that should be done.
"It's a part of history, and a recording of it. It'll form a centrepiece around the dedication that's around this area for the military."
David Gushue knows the family well and lived a few doors down from them. But he said everyone in the community felt close to the Murphys.
"We all knew him. It's a close-knit community. And we all hurt when we heard he died. And because he was one of the first Newfoundlanders, it's a little more heartfelt," he commented.
"I hope the monument inspires not to be afraid of what you believe in, especially for the young people. As they're growing up, they'll say, 'Look how famous he was. He was brave, and he did something for us.'"
Three years after his death, it was still a "hard day" for the family, as Jamie Murphy's sister put it.
Their mother teared up during the remembrance part of the ceremony, and friends and others of the community greeted her with consoling, open arms.
Part of those tears came from gratitude for what was done in her son's memory.
"It was excellent; couldn't have been any better. He'd be proud. He always said he was special, now he's very, very special," she said.
"They wanted to do something special. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They put a lot of work into it. They went door-to-door and did everything."
While not the first to die serving in Afghanistan, Jamie Murphy's death captured the attention of not only this province, but the nation. More than 3,000 attended a memorial service in Ontario in 2004.
"Cpl. Jamie Murphy left an indelible mark on the province, the country and the world," said Col. Tony Stack of St. John's, the commander of 37 Canadian Brigade, in the opening of the ceremonies. "With the many tributes, it's clear he had and continues to have a positive impact.
"Many only have the opportunity to read about history. Imagine being part of that history. Cpl. Jamie Murphy accomplished that."
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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