BRIDGEWATER - A reserve set aside to help Armed Forces personnel and their loved ones received an additional $8,000 from the local stop of the Portraits of Honour national tour.

 Brian and Carol Cooper of the Bridgewater Kin club, which co-organized the October 14 event with the Bridgewater Legion, stated the total during a town council meeting.

 The amount destined for the Military Families Fund is nearly three times more than what local event organizers anticipated.

 The Coopers thanked town officials for donating to the tribute event along with staff for helping with parade and opening ceremony logistics. They also thanked the community for its overall support.

 Mayor Carroll Publicover accepted a certificate of appreciation on behalf of council during the November 14 council meeting.

 Supporters of the Portraits of Honour heralded it as a heartfelt compliment to the nation's 150-plus Canadian Forces personnel who gave the supreme sacrifice during the war in Afghanistan.

 Ontario resident and Kin Canada lifetime member Dave Sopha created the mural as a way to honour the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers. The mural depicts the faces of each of the Canadian soldiers lost during the Afghanistan war.

 The specialized mobile display trailer containing the 3 x 10-metre oil-painted Portraits of Honour received police escort and was paraded through part of Bridgewater. Schoolchildren waved Canadian flags as a Legion colour party led the tractor-trailer to Churchill Street's Royal Canadian Legion Branch #24 from Veterans' Memorial Park.

 The Afghanistan conflict claimed the lives of Lunenburg County servicemen Pte. Richard Green of Mill Cove in 2002 and Bridgewater's Cpl. Paul Davis in 2006.

 Wreaths were laid in honour of Cpl. Davis and Pte. Green. Relatives of the men proudly carried crosses and photos showing the names and images of their departed loved ones.

 Pictures of the fallen and white crosses bearing their names were carried during the parade.

 The Portraits of Honour event also included a welcome-home ceremony for troops. Presentations were made to dozens of soldiers from this region.

 The Friends of the Fallen fundraising banquet for the Military Families Fund was held that evening at the Legion.

posted on 11/23/11