Army vehicle to become Afghanistan war memorial in Regina

When fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Canadian soldiers often rolled into combat inside a light armoured vehicle called the LAV III.

The eight-wheel infantry fighting vehicle has a turret on top with a 25-mm chain gun, weighs as much as 35,000 pounds, can hold up to 10 passengers and reaches speeds of 100 km/h.

A concept photo of the Royal Regina Rifles Memorial. (rrrmemorial.ca)

“It was very effective in fighting the Taliban,” said Brad Hrycyna, President of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) of Regina.

Five years after Canada’s combat mission ended in 2014, some of the older vehicles are being decommissioned and turned into monuments across Canada.

On Thursday, the RUSI presented a cheque of $18,426 to the Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command Poppy Fund. The money was raised at a gala event marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice at the end of the First World War.

While most of the funds will go to support veterans and their families, the RUSI requested $2,500 be allocated to the LAV III monument, dedicated to those who served in Afghanistan.

The memorial is a project led by the Royal Regina Rifles Trust Fund which costs approximately $20,000. President Bob Dumur explained how a company in London, Ontario turns the LAV III into a monument.

“They pull the engine out of it and weld up the hatches and seal it so you can’t get into it but it, at one point, was a functional vehicle,” said Dumur.

The monument will come with a memorial plaque dedicated to the 159 Canadians who were killed in Afghanistan, including 17 casualties from Saskatchewan.

A map of Regina Armoury showing the proposed location of the Royal Regina Rifles Memorial.(rrrmemorial.ca)

The LAV III monument will arrive in the spring and will be placed on the Regina Armoury’s lawn north of Mosaic Stadium. Dumur explained it will eventually be part of a bigger memorial with about a dozen army vehicles from different war eras as part of a “touch and feel” museum.

“What we’re trying to do is represent a major battle and a vehicle that was instrumental or known in those areas,” said Dumur.

In addition to the vehicles, plans are in the works to erect a more traditional monument with a soldier on top. It will pay tribute to all members of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group that are served by the Regina Armory. The public will also be able to purchase a commemorative brick.

Dumur explained the design of the final monument may see some changes before its erected. For example, the solider depicted in concept photos may be changed to the Brooding Soldier. It’s designed by Regina Architect Frederick Chapman Clemshaw who also designed other memorials including the monument in Belgium which commemorates the Second Battle of Ypres.

For more information visit the Royal Regina Rifles Memorial.