Prince Albert's Dean Blanchard receives his Quilt of Valour. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Shoulder to shoulder

Canadian Walk for Veterans honours local heroes

Sep 27, 2020 | 4:14 PM

Before the Saskatchewan-leg of the Canadian Walk for Veterans kicked off on Saturday, some of the walk’s special guests received a warm thank you.

Quilts of Valour were presented to veterans from Prince Albert and around the province, awarded to those who have served our country and deserving of ‘hugs from Canadians.’

Before he joined the Prince Albert Police Service 22 years ago, Dean Blanchard joined the force at the beginning of the 1990s, before leaving to join the police service in 1998. He stayed on with the Army Reserves before an honourable discharge in 2003 and has focused his career with the police force since.

Blanchard said he was honoured to receive those Canadian hugs in that blanket, but even more special was being able to reconnect with those with who he served.

Along with Blanchard, Chris McKeaveney, Todd Wilson, Carey Vandall, Marc Melynchuk and Sheridan Ellingson were also awarded Quilts of Valour. Retired Sgt. Mark Rude from Newfoundland was also in attendance to help present the quilts and congratulate all the recipients.

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“The number one thing about today is getting back together with some of these guys that I haven’t seen. It’s been probably 15 years since I’ve seen Todd. Mike, it’s been 20 years,” Blanchard said. “As great as it is to be recognized and to receive these blankets and be nominated by Michelle [McKeaveney] and the WIN [What’s Important Now support] group, I think just seeing these guys again is the best thing about today.”

Although they all came from Saskatchewan, the group had never crossed paths with one another until they met in the Canadian Forces.

“We’re all from this area, but we didn’t meet until we joined the military. Then once we joined, we actually went all over,” Blanchard said. “We were in Canada, in Winnipeg, in Edmonton, in Wainwright (Alta.,), then overseas into Yugoslavia or Bosnia or Croatia. That’s where we met, that’s when we bonded. And of course when we came back, and you can’t really break that bond. It’s good to see those people again.”

In total, 14 Quilts of Valour were presented to deserving veterans. Ian Kydd, Ed Dagenais, Jon Barth, and Ramsay Bellisle all received their quilts in Saskatchewan. Wade Smith and Tyson King got theirs in B.C., while Todd Stephens got his in Alberta and Bobby Young received his in Newfoundland.

Many of them were part of the Canadian forces that fought in the Medak Pocket in September of 1993. Croatia attacked the town of Medak and pushed the Serbian forces back to control the Medak Pocket, the area around the town of Medak and populated by Serbian people.

Troops from Canada and France represented the UN and entered the area to ensure the Croatian and Serbian forces left the air, and to return the refugees to their homes. But as they approached on Sept. 15, 1993, they had to fight through landmines and fire from Croatian artillery, rifles and machine guns. According to Veteran Affairs Canada, the Medak Pocket “was the heaviest action that Canadian troops had experienced since the Korean War” in 1953.

“They were in a situation that nobody saw coming. The Medak Pocket was something that none of us will understand what it was. To have four gentlemen here today, including my husband, to serve together and go on to have other careers,” said Michelle McKeaveney, the Saskatchewan representative of the Canadian Walk for Veterans. “To have them gather here together today to receive their Quilts of Valour is huge.”

After the quilt presentations, the actual walk began through the crisp autumn setting of Kinsmen Park. Although the walk itself was done virtually across the country, McKeaveney said it was important to have a small, in-person walk in the park to show the veterans that they don’t have to walk alone.

“They’re not what Canadians or what most people think of as veterans. They walk among us, and nobody knows where they’ve been and what they’ve done. Being virtual allows us across Canada to go and walk anywhere for the two days,” McKeaveney said. “With us in the park here, we just wanted to show that we’re here together, and we want to be together to support these guys and show that first responders and veterans do matter and they walk amongst us.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW