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The cenotaph at Kandahar Airfield became a symbol for many Canadians of the losses during the Afghan war. Canadian Forces personnel and Afghan employees originally built it in 2006 and added to the monument over time. On the cenotaph are plaques that honour 158 Canadian Forces members who died as well as Foreign Affairs official Glyn Berry, Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang, and Marc Cyr, a civilian from a company under contract to the DND. Other plaques honour 42 U.S. military personnel and one civilian who died while serving under Canadian command. The cenotaph was dismantled and transported to Canada from Afghanistan in 2011.

For the rededication, the Canadian Forces has invited the families of the fallen to the two-day event and is paying their travel and other costs. The Canadian Army has been put in charge of the event and planners have been working overtime to ensure the focus is on the families.

At this point 589 family members are expected to be at the ceremony on Saturday.

“Saturday is about the families,” explained Col. Stephane Dubois, an Afghan war veteran who is in charge of organizing the rededication ceremony. “We will all work toward that. We will do everything (to ensure) the families get what they need and what they deserve.”

Dubois said some families have declined to come to the event or have indicated they would prefer to visit the cenotaph at a later date on their own time.

“Grieving is a complex process,” said Dubois, who lost friends in the war and was involved in the repatriation process for the Afghan war dead. “All families are at a different stage.”