OROMOCTO, N.B. - More than 600 Canadian soldiers who recently served in Afghanistan were honoured and officially welcomed home to their New Brunswick base Friday, but many of them said their thoughts were with still with the soldiers killed during the deployment.
Eighteen members of the battle group were killed during the six-month tour that ended in August, including five from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, near Fredericton.
Pte. Brennan Leslie of Cole Harbour, N.S., was the driver of a vehicle that hit a roadside bomb on Easter Sunday, killing six soldiers.
He told reporters it was as if his fallen comrades were with him at Friday's ceremony.
"They were indeed,'' he said. "I was holding back the tears.''
Leslie was among more than 400 soldiers who were presented Campaign Star medals by Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie.
The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Group was also honoured with their General Campaign Star.
MacKay said the work of the soldiers has resulted in significant improvements for the people of Afghanistan.
"A free country is being reborn because of your contributions,'' MacKay said in a speech.
The minister thanked all the soldiers and their families, and made specific mention of those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan.
"And I hope that you will find some comfort in the knowledge that, as in previous struggles in which Canada has been present, that the freedoms and privileges that Canadians enjoy today are a direct result of those who have sacrificed to defend our country,'' he said.
Lt.-Gen. Leslie spent a lot of time speaking individually to the soldiers, and said while the medals are only made of a bit of metal and cloth, they are symbols of their teamwork and sacrifice.
"It doesn't cost a lot to make, but by golly the price to wear it can be high,'' he said.
The hundreds of soldiers attending the ceremony stood shoulder to shoulder, row on row, filling the perimeter of a huge drill hall on the training base in central New Brunswick.
All stood at attention with eyes forward for the two hour ceremony.
Afterwards, as the soldiers relaxed and mingled outside with family and friends, much of the conversation was about their fallen comrades, whose families were presented with medals at funerals, rather than Friday's celebration.
Warrant Officer Brad Rogers of Canning, N.S., said his medal will always be a reminder of the colleagues who were killed.
"There's no way of looking at that medal without being reminded of these soldiers that we lost, and the soldiers that are taking their place,'' he said.
