Greetings to all Dragoons at this sad time. Please see the Commanding Officers letter
below.
Dear Dragoons,
Although most are probably aware by now, it is my sad duty to inform you that
the Regiment has lost three outstanding crewmen, Sergeant Craig Gillam, Corporal Rob
Mitchell, and Trooper Mark Wilson, in combat in Afghanistan. Sgt Gillam and Cpl Mitchell
were both killed by hostile fire during an engagement on the 3rd of October, while
conducting operations with their patrol. Five other Dragoons were injured in this
incident, although they are all expected to recover fully. Tpr Wilson was killed by an
IED on 6 October.
Over the upcoming week the Regimental family will, as always, band together
and provide all possible assistance to Maureen Gillam, Leanne Mitchell, Dawn Wilson and
their families. Funeral and memorial services will be held over the next week, and all
details are published on our Regimental website at the following link :
http://www.dragoons.ca/OnlineBookCondolences/Memorials.html
Sergeant Gillam's funeral will take place on Saturday 14 in Newfoundland.
As such, I have decided to cancel the parade and officer/senior NCO mixed dining,
originally scheduled for 14 October, which were to commemorate the action at Leliefontein.
While this date was originally chosen in order to allow the maximum number of in country
Dragoons to participate in our annual celebrations, we will quite properly ensure that
honouring the memory of our fallen comrades takes precedence.
Recognizing that the celebration of Leliefontein is one of the cornerstones of
our Regimental identity, we will honour our history in a slightly different manner this
year. Rather than a full Regimental gathering, which we are unable to do, we will
maintain our traditions and commemorate our past in the best possible manner on the 7th of
November. RHQ, HQ Sqn and most of D sqn will be in Petawawa on the 7th, and we will
gather on parade to celebrate our history. B Sqn, along with support from D Sqn, as well
as the RSM and myself, will be in Wainwright on the 7th of November, and we will
commemorate to the best of our ability while participating in (or observing) exercise
Maple Guardian at CMTC as B squadron prepares for its upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
A Sqn, deployed in a combat zone, will no doubt find a way to remember Dragoons who have
gone before us in their own way.
Please accept sincere regrets at the cancellation of activities on 14 October,
however I am certain all will agree that our primary responsibility as a Regimental family
rests with honoring Sgt Gillam, Cpl Mitchell and Tpr Wilson. While I recognize that
holding sub unit activities on the 7th of November (a weekday) will preclude attendance by
a large number of Regimental family members who are not currently serving with the
Regiment, it is the right thing to do.
I have received a number of letters of condolences and expressions of good
will towards our Dragoons in theatre. The Regimental family is looking after the families
of the fallen, and we are supporting our troops in theatre to the best of our abilities.
I receive nothing but glowing reports of how our Dragoons in combat are conducting
themselves. I am extremely proud of our entire Regiment, as we band together to face the
challenges of these difficult times. Balancing our grief with our determination to carry
out our mission, our Regiment is doing the nation proud.
It is a fine day to be a Dragoon.
Audax et Celer,
S.M. Cadden
Lieutenant-Colonel
Commanding Officer, The Royal Canadian Dragoons
JB Price
MacTavish Kennels Inc
(613) 489-0086
www.mactavishscotties.ca