Recently I met with Darcia Arndt, widow of Master Corporal Raymond Arndt. What she said when I left her home was so true; “we had a lovely visit!” We got together so that we could choose a photo of her husband for me to paint and to talk about him so that I could know more about the man whose portrait I would be working on. I found there was not enough time for us to talk and share all the wonderful stories and events, and look at all the beautiful photos of her and her husband’s lives during the few years they shared together. There never is enough time!
I must thank Darcia for making me feel so comfortable in her home, for all her time, and for her being so open and sharing during our four hour visit! I got to know more about Raymond, and I am looking forward to painting the man behind the uniform.
For Susan, Cindy and me, all of these family interviews so far have been ones of great positive support of our project, and are both a true honour and a sad delight to experience.
Shairl Honey
Recently we went to hear Maureen Eykelenboon talk in Spruce Grove where she spoke to the audience about her son Andrew for whom she created Boomer’s Legacy. Maureen talked about his experiences in Afghanistan and his conviction that what he was doing there was important work, something we hear from every single family that we talk to. She told us about his heroic moments in which he saved Afghanistan lives, treated some of the Afghan people who have no access to medical care, what life as a medic or soldier is like, and some of his thoughts. “Mom, people in Canada have no idea of what having nothing means, even our street people have more than those in Afghanistan”. And this “About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the UMS while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her elder sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour. Love Andrew”.
In May 2006 Andrew saved the life of Niaz Hussaini, an Afgan interpreter with the Provincial Reconstruction team. Maureen was lucky enough to meet Niaz on a visit to Afgahanistan and see for herself the impact our Canadian soldiers are having on the people of this country.
Maureen played a slide show of the photos that remained on Boomer’s camera when he died. It was an excellent look at the life of a soldier in Afghanistan and the good work that they are doing to restore order and give the people a sense that they are being cared for. Thanks Maureen. Thanks Boomer.
We hope that the portraits and exhibitions will be able to show some of the magnitude of what our soldiers have done and have given up to do so. Their families too.
Leslie Primeau, Shairl Honey, Susan Abma & Cindy Revell
Wow! We have been really busy with Project Heroes™ and we have so many to thank for recent exciting things that have been happening.
We were on 630 CHED radio March 13 and Lesley Primeau asked us back on her show again April 6. This was a wonderful opportunity to talk about the project in a very public way and we had great response, with parents of the fallen soldiers phoning in, and several donations to help pay for the costs.
Our very sincere thanks to Lesley and 630 CHED for helping us share Project Heroes™ on the radio and for putting a link to our website on their site and on Lesley’s blog. Our heartfelt thanks also to those who donated to Project Heroes™ – we could not possibly do this without your help.
To listen to the show, go to: http://www.630ched.com/other/audiovault.html and put in the date ‘April 6’ and the time ‘6 PM.’ We were on at 6:30, so if you move the bottom bar along until it gets to 34:00, you will be able to listen just to the Project Heroes™ interview without listening to the first half hour of the show.
To view Lesley’s blog, go to http://www.630ched.com/Blogs/PrimeausBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10106345.
Our interview with Leslie Primeau on 630 Ched was fantastic. Leslie is a lively and engaging host who asked perfect questions and helped get across what this project is really about. Many thanks to our callers for phoning in to support us and sponsor us. Your help is greatly appreciated. We’ve been invited to talk with Leslie again on April 6. We’ll give the exact time when we have more details. Till then we paint and talk to families of the soldiers.
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On Saturday, March 13 at 12:00 we’ll be interviewed by radio talk show host Leslie Primeau on 630 CHED. Join us as we talk about how the portrait project got started, what we are doing, why we are doing it, what’s next, and how you can help.
December 14, 2009 – 1:34 am
As we sat watching the Roar of the Rings curling finals today, a friend relayed this story from her four-year-old son…
Listening to a clip on the radio news about Afghanistan with his mother, he asked her, “Why are they still fighting over there?”
She tried to explain as best she could, but he interrupted and told her he knew what should be done to resolve the conflict.
“What I would do,” he said, “is I would sneak in there at night and steal all their clothes. Then they wouldn’t want to go and fight.”
Such a simple, yet somehow so profoundly logical solution coming from the mouth of a boy who believes the world would be a better place if only people wouldn’t fight with each other.
Since four-year-olds don’t run the world, and the Taliban and our soldiers still have their clothes, there will still be conflict in Afghanistan.
The best we can do is support our troops and pray for their safety while they work on our behalf.
Here’s to Canadian soldiers at home, in Afghanistan and in other countries world-wide. We appreciate you and thank you for all you do.
And thanks to all the four-year-olds who should be thinking of snowmen and toys and chocolate. Knowing that they also think of world peace means they will become sensitive, caring adults who will make a difference in tomorrow’s world.
November 24, 2009 – 9:07 pm
Shairl (far right) and I recently visited with Sarah Keller, (centre) wife of Cpl. Bryce Keller who was killed in action in August, 2006.
As we gained insight into Bryce’s character in order for Shairl to paint his portrait, we also found a kinship with this smart and kind young lady who is also in the Canadian military.
Sarah is currently studying for her nursing degree at the University of Alberta (Edmonton), after which she will use her nursing skills in the military.
As with other soldiers’ family members who we have visited, Sarah shared her husband’s story openly.
We are so grateful for how open all the families have been and we appreciate that it must be incredibly difficult to do that.
Thank you so much to Sarah and to all the other families who have welcomed us so warmly and allowed us to paint the portraits of their loved ones.
We are truly honored to do this project and will do or very best to make you all proud.
— Susan Abma
*Please note: Our website – www.projectheroes.ca – is being rebuilt and will be down for about two days. It should be back up Nov. 26 or before. We are very proud of our new look and thank Lynda Baxter and www.artincanada.com for redesigning it. We hope you’ll check back in a few days to see our newly designed website. Thanks for your patience.
November 11, 2009 – 8:28 am
November 11.
We all remember. It was the day we all actually stayed silent for a moment in school, remembering the soldiers who fought for our country.
At the time, those soldiers were often not known to us and their faces not familiar. But we knew from our teachers and parents the incredible significance of honoring their service.
November 11: Remembrance Day. Veterans Day. Armistice Day.
Around the world it has different names, but the day is the same and the purpose also the same. The day is seen as the end of World War I, which ended on this day in 1918.
Today, it is as powerful as never before. We honor those who served Canada in World War I and other wars our country was involved in, and also we honor the soldiers whose faces are now familiar – those from the Afghanistan war. Our brothers, boyfriends, husbands, sons and fathers are among the faces now fighting for our country and the Afghan people. Some of them have not come home, sacrificing themselves for the cause they believed in.
We remember them today – those serving currently and those who served in the past – and thank them all for their incredible service to Canada.
We pray for the safety of those in Afghanistan and those still to be deployed. May they take comfort in knowing how grateful we are for what they do. Return home to us safely and may God be with you.
November 7, 2009 – 5:56 am
Corporal Andrew James Eykelenboom
What a pleasure it was to paint Canadian army medic Andrew James Eykelenboom, or “Boomer” as his mates called him. The first time I learned about Andrew, was when his mother Maureen told his sad but beautiful story “Andrew’s Smile” on the radio. I couldn’t wait to read about him, visit his home in Comox, meet his parents and hear more of his goofy but sweet humour.
Yes, it has been a pleasure painting your smile, Andrew, and getting to know you.
Shairl
November 1, 2009 – 7:40 pm
Saying goodbye to my cousin’s fiancé Patrick at the Edmonton garrison was difficult to say the least.
The hall was filled with soldiers ready to leave, their parents, siblings, spouses and children.
As the soldiers waited to go into the line-up to have their bodies and their gear searched, they clung to their wives and children. Most of the spouses had welled up tears in their eyes the entire time, but most of the soldiers stayed fairly straight-faced and tearless, putting on a brave face for their families. The look in their eyes told the story of the sadness they felt leaving their loved ones, especially knowing that there was a possibility that it could be the last time.
Although the soldiers kept a brave face throughout the waiting period, as they left their families to be searched and then board the bus, almost all had tears in their eyes.
It’s hard to explain how electric the atmosphere was, full of love, sadness, fear, and even excitement. Even though the soldiers were sad to leave their families, there was a part of them that looked forward to doing what they had been trained to do.
My heart broke as I watched my cousin cry and her daughter wave goodbye to Daddy. As the soldiers walked out of the hall and out of sight, my cousin ran outside the hall and around the building to have a last chance to see her soldier in the bus as it left.
It struck me how solitary life as a military spouse can be. It’s hard to think of a child not seeing her Daddy for six to eight months, and again thinking that the worst case scenario is that she could never see him again. As the parent who stays home, the spouse is a single parent and lonely. There are times when they have no contact with their soldier for long periods of time, and they hold their breath as the names of fallen soldiers are announced. They pray that it’s not their spouse, and yet are so very sad for the family that does have to deal with the loss.
Shairl, Cindy and I have become so close up and personal with this project that we, too, hold our breath every time another fallen soldier’s name is announced. Our hearts break for the families, and we often cry also as we sit with the families and share the stories of the brave soldiers who never made it home alive.
I pray for the safety of my cousin-in-law to be, and all his comrades as they work hard in Afghanistan for a cause they believe is worth dying for. Besides my own family, I don’t know if I’d ever be that brave for anyone else. I am thankful for everything these soldiers are doing for us, for our country, and for the people of Afghanistan.
God bless them all.
—Susan Abma
