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Victorians mourn murdered soldiers at vigil

About 50 people braved a downpour Wednesday night to gather at the Esquimalt cenotaph to honour the two Canadian soldiers who died in suspected terrorist attacks this week.

About 50 people braved a downpour Wednesday night to gather at the Esquimalt cenotaph to honour the two Canadian soldiers who died in suspected terrorist attacks this week.

One of the soldiers, Patrice Vincent, 53, worked at CFB Esquimalt in 2006 and at the Comox base in the early 1990s. He died Monday after being struck by a vehicle driven by a suspected terrorist in Quebec. Reservist Nathan Cirillo, 24, was shot and killed by a suspected terrorist while standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa Wednesday morning.

“People need to come together in a time like this,” said Lorne Cole, a self-described army brat and Esquimalt resident who organized the event through postings on social media, which were shared and announced on local radio.

“It’s been a scary day across the country,” Cole said as he addressed the crowd, which included military veterans and members.


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“What’s important is that we don’t lose who we are as Canadians,” said Cole. He described being in a military family, going through the FLQ crisis in Quebec and having his school on lockdown while living in Europe. “Community is so important at these times. We can’t be scared into hiding,” said Cole.

“I grew up in a multicultural world and it’s a wonderful thing. I can’t stress how important it is that we welcome people and be inclusive.”

Cole’s wife and two teenage sons were also at the event, holding a large Canadian flag.

Devlin Cole, 16, said he was surprised to hear all his air cadet events were cancelled for the week and that they were asked not to wear their uniforms.

“But I understand why. It’s important,” he said, adding he hopes to become a policeman one day.

Marilyn Day heard about the event on Facebook and came holding her umbrella, a bag of poppy pins and candles and wearing a military pin in honour of her late father.

“My dad was a [First World War] veteran and I married a military man,” said Day, a third-generation Esquimalt resident. “I came tonight because we lost two members of our military. I’m remembering that we get to go home tonight and they don’t. That’s not right.”

Day said Esquimalt has always been supportive of its military families. “It’s part of our roots.”

Sean Macuisdin is a navy member who works at CFB Esquimalt. “This has been a challenging week … but everyone has stayed calm and gone on with their work,” he said.

The crowd sang O Canada, then observed a moment of silence. Several people walked up to the cenotaph to offer flowers and candles.

Cole said similar vigils were held across the country, organized by military families.

spetrescu@timescolonist.com