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Students at a southwest high school shed tears and gave a standing ovation to the mother of a fallen Calgary soldier during a powerful Remembrance Day ceremony yesterday.
Hundreds of Bishop Carroll senior high students packed the school gym to honour Canada's fallen troops, including former Bishop Carroll student Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, who, on Sept. 24, became the 71st Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Linda Loree spoke about the heartache of losing her 24-year-old son, who had been planning to propose to his girlfriend after he completed his six-month tour of duty.
"The loss of Nathan is very recent for me -- right now, my life has a hole in it," she said.
Loree went on to talk passionately about Hornburg's efforts to bring peace to the troubled country and to create equality for women living under the oppressive Taliban rule.
Hornburg was a reservist with the King's Own Calgary Regiment and chose to serve in Afghanistan.
"He told friends he was going so that girls could go to school," she said.
"He risked his life to make it easier for them."
Hornburg died when he was hit by a round from either a Taliban mortar or recoilless rifle while tending to a disabled Leopard Tank in Afghanistan's Zhari district.
Despite the loss of her son, Loree told the students the mission was successful in securing a nearby village and bringing relative peace to the area.
"Let's keep moving in that direction -- we're not there yet," she said about bringing stability to Afghanistan.
"In a complex world, we need to act."
Cpl. Josh Morris, 24, a good friend of Hornburg's who lost two comrades during a mission in Afghanistan last year, implored the students to remember Canada's fallen soldiers.
"It represented the greatest sacrifice and the greatest love," said Morris. "I try not to look back in sorrow ... but with admiration and honour and to live my life like them."
Also in attendance was 92-year-old Second World War veteran Al Swinton, who served with the Royal Canadian Artillery.
"The world right now is in the worst shape it's ever been," he said.
After the hour-long service, Michael Hornburg said he was moved by the strong show of emotion from the students in response to his son's death.
"I was glad to see the young people take it so seriously -- I sensed a lot of emotion," he said.
Grade 11 student Joe Rino said the ceremony was "hugely important" to his peers.
"When we do celebrations like this, it reminds us of what they're doing and what they're sacrificing," the 16-year-old said about Canada's troops.