Virginia Hicks, whose daughter died during a 2002 training exercise in Petawawa, Ont., has been named the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother.
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The Royal Canadian Legion says Virginia Hicks will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Nov. 11 as part of the annual tradition on behalf of Canadian mothers who have lost a child serving in the Canadian military.
Hicks’ daughter, Mariebeth Short, died on Sept. 23, 2002, when the light armoured vehicle she was training in rolled over during a training exercise in Petawawa, Ont.
The Royal Canadian Legion says Hicks’ family has a long history of military service and that she served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 29 years, working in supply and logistics.
This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony comes weeks after four Canadian soldiers were killed and dozens more were injured during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta. Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C., were killed in a grass fire last month, with strong, sudden winds pushing the fire toward about 84 members of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry conducting two exercises in the base’s training area, roughly 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Hicks said in a statement that she has “much in common with all mothers who have lost a child serving in the military,” adding, “We all share the same sorrow, we all share the same bravery, and same love and respect for our children as we do for any other child who has passed,” the statement said.
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