Master Cpl. Jody Mitic was on his third tour overseas as a member of the Canadian forces when he stepped on a landmine. His life changed in a flash.

The 20-year veteran, now an Ottawa city councillor, lost both his feet on Afghan soil. But on Wednesday morning, he once again breathed in the warm air of Kabul. Mitic had returned for the lighting of the ceremonial flame of the Invictus games — inside the stately Afghanistan Presidential Palace, marking the start a long journey home.

“It makes sense that the Invictus Spirit Flame would be lit in Kabul. After all, this is where the lives of so many Canadian soldiers changed dramatically,” Mitic wrote in a release Wednesday morning.

He was passed the flame by an Afghan veteran.

“To be a part of an initiative that would provide such vivid context to the realities of service and sacrifice endured by our servicemen and women was an opportunity I could not refuse.”

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With that, the Invictus Spirit Flame formally began its journey to Toronto. The path it will take is the same journey taken by many service members injured on the battlefield. The next key point will be the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in Germany later this month.

Team Canada competitor retired Cpl. Chris Klodt and Team Canada co-captain Maj. Simon Mailloux will be on-site to receive the flame. Team Canada members will also be given a chance at the centre to personally thank some of the medical staff that brought them home to their families.

Wednesday’s ceremony was led by Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani and NATO Resolute Support Mission Commander Gen. John Nicholson. In attendance were the Afghan Invictus team, their families, Canadian ambassador Kenneth Neufeld, dozens of Afghan officials and representatives of the Kabul-based diplomatic community.

“Invictus is the Latin word for ‘unconquered.’ I cannot think of a better way to describe the brave Afghans who continue to fight for their country,” Nicholson said.

Once the flame touches down in Toronto, it will be carried into the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games on Sept. 23 by a Canadian competitor and their family.

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“Many Invictus Games competitors served and become ill or injured in Afghanistan,” said Michael Burns, Invictus Games CEO, wrote in a release.

“In fact, 14 of the 17 nations participating in the 2017 Invictus Games had service personnel killed or injured there. Afghanistan is now also indelibly woven into the national fabric of Canadian military history.”

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