Yellowknife mother to lay wreath for fallen son in Ottawa
Sheila Anderson named this year's National Silver Cross Mother in honour of her son killed in Afghanistan
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Corporal Jordan James Anderson was always a daredevil, says his mother Sheila Anderson.
Sheila Anderson was named this year's Silver Cross Mother, eight years after her eldest son's death in Afghanistan. - photo courtesy of the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command |
When he was attending high school in Saskatchewan, he bet his friends $50 he could swim across the Saskatchewan River - which he did - only to find one of his teachers waiting on the other side to inform him that as punishment for the stunt, he would be donating his winnings to a charity of his choice.
The money went to the Catholic Church in Inuvik, the town in which Jordan grew up.
"Eddie Lavoie was the lead preacher there - Jordan had to explain to Eddie why he was making this donation," Anderson said with a quiet laugh.
"I say, he was a non-conformist; whatever rule he could break, he would ... he really challenged the system but the funny part of it was, he joined somewhere that you have to follow the rules."
Anderson enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000 becoming a member of the 3rd battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry out of Edmonton.
"He loved the armed forces, he loved his buddies, he loved fighting, he loved everything about it except it was terrifying of course but when you're a daredevil, that's what you like," said Anderson.
On July 4, 2007, Anderson was killed along with five other soldiers and an Afghan interpreter when their vehicle struck an explosive device on patrol southwest of Kandahar City.
"I often wonder what kind of man he would have turned out to be," Anderson said over the phone, apologizing for her broken voice.
"He was very young when he died, only 25. He would be in his 30s now. His youngest brother is older than he ever got to be."
Anderson has laid wreaths in Jordan's honour at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Yellowknife and this year, will travel to Ottawa to represent all Canadian mothers who lost their children at war being named the National Memorial Silver Cross Mother.
"It's wonderful that they do this and all and I'm deeply honoured," Anderson said but adds the attention it brings isn't easy.
"It doesn't have celebrity-status in a positive way. It's not exactly a group anybody wants to be in but I respect it's positive to keep this whole remembrance issue alive, especially with children. I hope some day we'll learn from this, knowing that warring doesn't really solve anything."
The Silver Cross Mother has been designated since 1936, said Danny Martin, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion who has escorted the chosen mothers through Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa for the past decade.
"The first recognized Silver Cross Mother was with the Vimy pilgrimage when they opened the monument at Vimy," said Martin. "She lost several sons and was recognized as one of the people to represent Canada and mothers of Canadian soldiers over there."
Anderson, Martin said, will be the first Silver Cross Mother to come from any of the three territories. As the 2015-16 Silver Cross Mother, Anderson will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial on Remembrance Day, tour Parliament Hill and the Memorial Chamber with special recognition given to her son, and meet with Governor General David Johnston and Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance. Throughout the year, Martin said there could be other events Anderson will be asked to attend.
"(Silver Cross Mothers) are put at the forefront of the Canadian public at least once a year, showing that there have been sacrifices made and we can't forget them," Martin said. "And who better to represent that than the mother of one of the fallen soldiers."
It is also, Anderson said, a chance to show support for other mothers and families.
"It adds the opportunity to commiserate with the other fallen soldiers' parents, I think. I know with the support that I get from my immediate family and the people we know that knew Jordan as a child, we're not alone," she said. "I'm sure some moms who lost their kids probably did feel alone at some point or another. I hope I
can offer that empathy."
In her own family, Anderson said Jordan is still talked about all the time.
"We're always sharing stories and we have lively dinner conversations and think about him," Anderson said. "He would have put his two cents in."
His name is also carried on at the University of Manitoba, where he studied history and political sciences through correspondence while overseas.
"He was doing courses all the time he was on exercise in Kandahar and deployed," said Anderson.
"He was dedicated. He had two courses left when he died."
The university awarded Anderson a posthumous degree - accepted by his widow, Amanda. The school also offers the Jordan Anderson On The Ramp Bursary to students serving in or retired from the Canadian Forces, in his honour.
Since Jordan's death, Anderson has taken part in events memorializing those lost at war, including a music and visual art display called "War: what is the cost?"
These sort of events, she said, are a way to bring to reality the suffering of families like her own. A reminder of the true cost of war.
"Today is hard," Anderson said, shortly after the news release came out that she was named Silver Cross Mother.
"I think Remembrance Day will be harder ... it's difficult in a positive way, it helps you deal with it. This is not something you forget."
