OTTAWA - An Alberta woman whose son was killed in Afghanistan in 2006 has been named this year's Silver Cross mother.
Avril Dianna Stachnik of Waskatenau, Alta., will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial during the Remembrance Day ceremonies next Tuesday on behalf of all bereaved parents.
Her son, Sgt. Shane Stachnik, was a combat engineer killed in an ambush in Afghanistan.
The Silver Cross is a memorial medal first authorized in 1919 for the mothers and widows of servicemen killed during the First World War.
In 2006, the rules were changed to allow it to be awarded to widowers and it was presented to Jason Beam, whose wife, Capt. Nichola Goddard was killed in action in Afghanistan.
Today, the cross may be awarded to as many as three people designated by the soldier.
