In wake of Wainwright tragedy, this year's Silver Cross Mother has a message for grieving families
asserted
Mother → have → families
Virginia Hicks' daughter Sapper Mariebeth Short died at CFB Petawawa in 2002
Every year, Virginia Hicks visits Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in northern Ontario.
asserted
Hicks → die → Ontario
That's where her daughter Sapper Mariebeth Short was killed during a training exercise on Sept. 23, 2002.
asserted
daughter → kill → Sept.
Sapper Short enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2000, eventually landing at 2CER, a combat engineering regiment, at CFB Petawawa in 2001.
"She was a go-getter.
asserted
She → enrol → 2001
She never stopped, she never quit," Hicks said.
asserted
Hicks → stop → ?
Sapper Short was preparing for a possible deployment to Afghanistan or Bosnia.
asserted
Short → prepare → Afghanistan
She was 22 years old when she died.
asserted
she → die → ?
Virginia Hicks is this year's national Silver Cross Mother, an annual tradition by the Royal Canadian Legion recognizing the mother of a fallen Canadian Armed Forces member each Remembrance Day.
asserted
Hicks → recognize → member
"It's a club nobody wants to belong to," Hicks told CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault from her home in Frankford, Ont.
asserted
Hicks → want → Frankford
"In order to receive one, someone you love had to have died."
asserted
you → receive → one
Short was killed when the light armoured vehicle (LAV) she was in rolled over during a training exercise.
asserted
she → kill → exercise
Hicks' annual visit to CFB Petawawa with her husband Brian has become one way for the family to honour her daughter's time in service.
asserted
family → become → service
Sapper Mariebeth Short was killed in a LAV rollover on CFB Petawawa in 2002. (Virginia Hicks)
asserted
Short → kill → 2002
At the crash site, a small bush in 2002 has grown to stand many feet above Hicks' head.
asserted
bush → grow → head
I think her pride in her job has kind of fallen back on us.
asserted
pride → think → us
I know that she's passed, she's in a better place.
asserted
she → know → place
'Never going to be forgotten'
As the Silver Cross Mother, Hicks will lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Ottawa during the national ceremony on Nov. 11.
asserted
Hicks → go → Nov.
'Quiet, independent, strong-willed': B.C. soldier burned at CFB Wainwright faces long recovery, family says
- Video
Police, military escort body of fallen Wainwright soldier through Calgary
asserted
Police → burn → Calgary
This year's Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa will also be taking place a few weeks after a deadly grass fire swept through a training area at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.
asserted
fire → take → Alberta
Four soldiers were killed, and dozens more were seriously injured on Oct. 17.
asserted
dozens → kill → Oct.
Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, lost their lives and are being mourned across the country.
asserted
Wong → lose → country
This composite image shows the soldiers who died following a fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.
asserted
who → show → Alberta
Hicks remembers when she first heard about what happened in Wainwright.
asserted
what → remember → Wainwright
"We were sitting on the couch and all of a sudden it was just like you had a cold shower.
asserted
you → sit → shower
I was like, oh my God, not again," Hicks recalled.
asserted
Hicks → recall → ?
"I said, well, I now have four more members of our club."
asserted
I → say → club
Hicks empathizes with the families of those who died at CFB Wainwright.
asserted
who → empathize → Wainwright
They will now also be awarded a Memorial Cross, a decoration given to those whose loved one died in service.
asserted
one → award → service
"I'm hoping that other Memorial Cross recipients understand that there is support.
asserted
recipients → hop → ?
There's people out there that can help you with whatever you want, and your child or your husband or your wife are never going to be forgotten because their name is written down in history."
Hicks also encouraged the families to "have faith" in the military's investigation.
asserted
Hicks → be → investigation
"She was 4-foot-11, 90 to 95 pounds, and she was a combat engineer, so her job was big and heavy," said Hicks.
asserted
Hicks → say → foot-11
Hicks says Sapper Short's size was no deterrent to her decision to become a combat engineer.
asserted
size → say → decision
"Her job was digging up mines, building bridges, driving LAVs, … knowing how to put a bridge together, carrying a bridge pin (weighs about 35 to 40 pounds) and she used to carry two.
asserted
she → dig → two
"
Hicks had spoken to her daughter just days before the training was to begin.
asserted
training → speak → daughter
“She said, I've been looking forward to this (exercise) for weeks.
asserted
I → say → weeks
And I said, OK, we'll speak Friday when you're all done with your exercise.
asserted
you → say → exercise
And that was the last time I spoke with her.
asserted
I → speak → her
"
Hicks stands by her daughter Sapper Short's grave in Trenton, Ont.
asserted
Hicks → stand → Trenton
Her grandfather and great grandfather served.
asserted
grandfather → serve → ?
Her mother, Virginia Hicks, served 29 years in the Forces, becoming a sergeant, with deployments to the Persian Gulf, Golan Heights, Kabul, Kandahar and Italy.
asserted
mother → serve → Gulf
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
