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The final design may have strayed from his original vision, but an Okanagan man is happy nonetheless to have helped 46 Canadian soldiers receive a newly-minted Sacrifice Medal earlier this week.
On Monday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Governor General Michaelle Jean presented the medals – 21 of them posthumously – to men and women who were wounded or gave their lives fighting for Canada since October 2001.
It was the first time the medals were presented after being proposed in 2006 by Bill Tanner, an 83-year-old resident of Peachland.
The Second World War veteran said the need for such an honour, similar to the Purple Heart in the U.S., was something he thought about for a long time. But it wasn’t until 2006 that he drafted a model that he presented in Ottawa to former defence minister Gordon O’Connor and retired general Rick Hillier. Tanner said it got a warm reception.
“They both looked at it, looked at each other, and said: ‘Thank you, Bill. This is long overdue.’”
Tanner said his proposed design featured a simple, crimson maple leaf, from which the medal would derive its name. But bureaucrats, he said, “tore it apart and made up their own.”
He also pointed out that the reverse side of the medal bears an image from a First World War memorial, even though the medal is only given to people who served after October 2001.
Still, Tanner said, it’s the thought that counts, and he was still proud to see his hard work pay off at the ceremony on Monday. He said he received two calls that same day from “top brass” in Ottawa who told him he would receive a citation of some sort for his effort.
Today, the former air force man can be found laying a wreath on behalf of Veteran Affairs Canada at the Remembrance Day service in Peachland at the community centre.
joe@kelowna.com
250-575-4303
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Thanks Bill for taking the time and effort to make this happen. And for the record, I’d have much preferred your proposed version of the medal, but bureaucrats seem to find a way to wreck everything don’t they?
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