Diana Abel will never forget the telephone call she received in May 1993 telling her that her son, Corporal Michael David Abel, had been killed while on duty in Somalia.
鈥淭hey simply said that there had been an accident,鈥� Abel told CTV鈥檚 Beverly Thomson. 鈥淵ou just fall apart. It鈥檚 very difficult to comprehend that two weeks before he鈥檚 coming home, he鈥檚 not coming home.鈥�
Abel is this year鈥檚 . Also known as the Silver Cross, the honour is bestowed every year by the Royal Canadian Legion to the mother of a fallen Canadian soldier. On behalf of all mothers who share the pain of losing a child in the military, Abel will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Nov. 11
鈥淚 was very flattered,鈥� she said of receiving the Silver Cross. 鈥淚鈥檓 very honoured to be given the role.鈥�
Abel鈥檚 son was a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment鈥檚 3 Commando unit when he was deployed to Somalia. The unit was responsible for securing the airport in the city of Belet Uen so that food and other humanitarian supplies could arrive in the war-torn country.
鈥淗e loved the military,鈥� Abel said. 鈥淗e liked the discipline of it, he liked the comradery of it, and he felt that going to Somalia, he was finally doing the job he was trained to do.鈥�
Abel鈥檚 son was killed in an accident while a fellow soldier was cleaning his gun. He died just a few short weeks before the end of Operation Deliverance, a peace-keeping mission that began in Dec. 1992. Only 27 years old, Cpl. Abel was Canada鈥檚 only military death in Somalia.
鈥淭here are times when I have to cry,鈥� Abel said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not just this week. Every time I hear of a member dying, all I think of is those parents are getting that phone call. And it just tears me apart to think that here鈥檚 another family going to have to go through all of this.鈥�
Abel says that laying a wreath in Ottawa on Remembrance Day will be a moment of both pride and sadness.
鈥淚鈥檓 honouring my son,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it also means I鈥檓 representing these women, that are going through, that have gone through the same thing I have鈥� We鈥檙e all suffering, we鈥檙e all hurting, and we want to do something to help.鈥�
