The crew of a Halifax-based Royal Canadian Navy ship is formally honouring the memory of a soldier from Cape Breton who died in Afghanistan nearly 14 years ago.
Sgt. Jimmy MacNeil of Glace Bay, N.S., was killed by a roadside bomb on June 21, 2010 about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.
In a lasting tribute, the chief and petty officerâs mess aboard H.M.C.S. Glace Bay is being renamed in memory of MacNeil.
The coastal defence vesselâs commanding officer, Lt.-Cmdr. Paul Morrison, said the tributeâs origins date back to Remembrance Day ceremonies held last fall in Glace Bay that were attended by the shipâs company.
Morrison said the crew noticed a car nearby that was vinyl wrapped with an image of MacNeil and after a few inquiries, they found out it belonged to the late soldierâs father, Jimmy MacNeil Sr.
âWe are trying to find ways to build linkages with our namesake city of Glace Bay,â said Morrison. ââFor us it was a logical extension to try to find a way to incorporate Sgt. MacNeilâs memory ⌠as we attempt to honour all of the service thatâs happened through Glace Bay residents.â
The shipâs coxswain, Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Sinclair, was among several crewmembers who travelled to the Glace Bay Legion Saturday, where they marked the occasion with MacNeilâs father.
Sinclair said once the ship returns to Halifax, a commemorative plaque will be designed for the door of the mess.
âIt will include a photo of Sgt. McNeil and a small write-up on his time in Afghanistan and service career,â he said.
The 45-member crew of Glace Bay has spent the last two weeks training on Cape Bretonâs Bras dâOr Lake in preparation for a mid-July deployment to the Baltic Sea as part of a NATO mine countermeasures mission.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2024