Highway of Heroes Cortege

The war in Afghanistan reached home today, (March 10, 2009) when we joined thousands of others to pay our respects to slain Warrant Officer Dennis Brown, killed on March 3, 2009 by a roadside bomb.
Officer Brown was being transported via funeral motorcade from the morgue in Toronto to his hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario.
The above video was filmed from the Casablanca overpass, the first bridge over the Queen Elizabeth Way in the Niagara Region.
Every overpass along the 50 mile route was filled with people paying their respects: firemen with ladders extended on their trucks, policemen, servicemen, and the public, including school children excused from classes.
For the day, the route truly became an extension of the designated Highway of Heroes, the 401 between Trenton and Toronto, the route fallen soldiers are taken along when first arriving home in Canada.
The extent of organization by the police was truly amazing, as you'll see as the video ends: every entrance ramp along the 50 mile route was temporarily closed ensuring there was no traffic in ahead of the motorcade.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Highway
• of
• Heros
• war
• Afghanistan
• Warrent
• Officer
• Dennis
• Brown
• killed
• March
• 2009
• funeral
• motorcade
• cortege

[MrSpike416]

What city or province was this?? Toronto Ontario?

[blogmeister]

It was on the Casablanca overpass, Grimsby, Ontario.

The Highway of Heroes is officially designated as the 401 between the Trenton Air Force Base, where our Fallen Heroes arrive home and the morgue in Toronto ... to where they are initially escorted in a cortege like you see in this film.

This soldier was returning home to St. Catharines, Ontario ... so the QEW from Toronto to his hometown was designated a special continuation of the Highway of Heroes for the day.

[Smith13j]

Thank you for taking this video of such an extraordinary event. It makes me proud to be Canadian. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this fine soldier.

How did you hear this was going to happen i.e. radio, internet, etc.?

[blogmeister]

You are very welcome.

My wife saw the notice on the Ridley College bulletin where she used to coach. For their tribute, Ridley excused all classes and sent the entire student body in their cadet uniforms to the Martindale Street overpass.

The word spread like a wild fire across the Niagara, neighbour to neighbour, on the internet, et cetera.

Yes, in these dark moments of reminder we can be very proud to be free Canadians not living under the circumstances that took Brown's life.

[Reqrezentin]

I didn't know Canada had a army?

[MrSpike416]

thx

[grave389]

did you see some Canadian soldiers on the bridge as well?

[breezeman199]

Heroes or dupes? The best way to REALLY support the troops is to bring them home.

[bigbadbarb]

I've seen several of the Canadian tributes, and cried thru all of them. All of you have a right to be so proud. Awesome.