Sask. Afghanistan Poppy Memorial remembers Canadians soldiers who died in Afghanistan

The Last Post rang out and all eyes turned to the Afghanistan Poppy Memorial, lit by the rays of the sun shining through the copper dome.

Created from the wreck of a burned out armoured vehicle near the fields of Kandahar, it is adorned with bronzed poppies in recognition of the soldiers who lost their lives there.

“The poppies are placed not in any specific way so that it just kind of signifies the randomness of death and of the deaths that happened overseas in Afghanistan,” explained Jason Quilliam, Saskatchewan’s Chief Protocol Officer.

Quilliam served for several years in Afghanistan so he understands the sacrifices made by Canadians there, including the ultimate sacrifice paid by the 158 between 2001 and 2012 that didn’t come home.

“To have memorials like this, to do Remembrance Day services, I think that serves to remind us of the freedoms we have,” Quilliam said.

Those who served in Afghanistan were front and centre at the annual Service of Remembrance at the Saskatchewan legislature on Wednesday.

The legislative library now displays the Afghanistan Book of Remembrance, which records the names of those who died there.

The Afghanistan Poppy Memorial is on display until the end of the week.