THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Paul Currie – a well-known and well-respected military veteran and community volunteer in Fort Smith – has passed away.

Paul Currie, a former soldier in Fort Smith, passed away on April 24 after a battle with cancer. In November, he attended the dedication of the NWT Highway of Heroes. - NNSL file photo

Currie died April 24 at the age of 47 after a battle with cancer.

While most would consider him a hero for his service to Canada in some of the most dangerous places in the world – including Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia – Currie did not describe himself in that way.

"I wouldn't consider myself a hero," he said in an interview with News/North in February. "I did what I was paid to do. I did my job and I think I did it well."

Currie also came up with idea of designating a section of Highway 1 as the NWT Highway of Heroes.

An 83-km stretch of highway from the NWT/Alberta border to Enterprise was given the new designation in November at a ceremony he attended.

Inspired by Canada's original Highway of Heroes is in Ontario, the NWT route is to remember those who have fallen in the line of duty in the military, the RCMP and emergency agencies – fire departments, ambulance services and rescue units – and honour those who now serve.

"I figured, why can't we do that in the Northwest Territories and not just for the serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, but also for the other people that serve?" asked Currie at the dedication ceremony.

About a year and a half before that ceremony, he had suggested the idea to Thebacha MLA and territorial cabinet minister Michael Miltenberger, who brought the proposal to the Department of Transportation.

"The Highway of Heroes was Paul Currie's idea," explained Miltenberger by e-mail. "He wrote to me, proposed the idea, kept after me and pushed to make it happen."

The MLA noted that Currie was already battling cancer when he wrote about creating a Highway of Heroes.

"And we pushed hard to get the Highway of Heroes approved so that Paul would be able to attend the dedication," recalled Miltenberger. "He knew his time was short and he accepted his fate. Now he joins the ranks of those heroes that the Highway of Heroes is dedicated to."

Miltenberger described Currie as a very compelling and decorated veteran who served in every world hotspot his country asked him to serve.

Mayor Brad Brake praised Currie's contribution to Fort Smith.

"Paul was a very active member of our community," said the mayor, noting he was involved with the fire department, St. John Ambulance, the town's ambulance service and the Royal Canadian Legion, and was also a part-time bylaw officer.

"He felt the need to serve," said Brake. "That was one of the things about Paul. He always felt the need to serve and help within the community."

In recognition of that dedicated service, the Town of Fort Smith earlier this year changed the name of its annual award for volunteerism. It is now the Paul Currie Outstanding Volunteer Award.

"We wanted to recognize his service to his country and to his community," said Brake.

Currie also served in another way by talking openly about his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which developed as a result of his harrowing experiences in the Balkans and Rwanda while a medic in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Currie felt compelled to educate others about PTSD.

As he explained in February, "As an ex-soldier, I feel I have to talk about PTSD because a lot of people out there don't understand."

After being diagnosed with moderate PTSD in 2000, Currie remained in the military as a firefighter until retiring in 2008 as a master corporal.

The Ontario-born Currie then worked for three years as an emergency medical technician in Edmonton before returning to Fort Smith where he grew up.

Despite the lingering effects of his time in the military – which he joined as a 21-year-old in 1988 – Currie said he was proud of his service.