final credits - alberta RCMP deaths - farewell
RCMP National Memorial - Edmonton, Alberta - March 10, 2005
On a sunny, warm spring day, a city stopped and a nation mourned. 15,000 people attended a memorial held in the University of Alberta's Butterdome sports arena in Edmonton. In likely the largest gathering ever of its kind, 8,000 of those paying tribute were from police forces across Canada and the United States. Brothers in red, green and blue came from as far away as Manhattan, Boston and Texas, with many paying their own way.
Edmontonians gathered wherever they could to watch televised coverage that was shown on all national networks. At the memorial, tributes were offered by friends, family, fellow officers and politicians of every stripe. Song was provided by singers and musicians from Western Canada. At a time when playoff hockey would normally dominate conversation, a nation was quiet, reflecting the pain of another national symbol that has suffered loss.
The day of reflection began with thousands of serge-clad Mounties, led by some on horseback, solemnly marching from Edmonton’s river valley to the U of A campus. Police officers from across Canada and the U.S. joined the procession in a rainbow of official colour that wound nearly two kilometres through streets leading from Emily Murphy Park to the University's Butterdome.
The air was filled with the rhythmic clicking of boots on pavement, the steady thump of police helicopters overhead and the mournful texture of bagpipes from the RCMP pipe band. The badges of law enforcement and emergency response gleamed in honour of their fallen comrades. Members from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the New Hampshire State Police, New Jersey State Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Parks Canada wardens, Calgary firefighters, Canadian Railway Police, and the U.S. Marines were there -– all united in cause and loss.
At the lead of the procession were four Mounties on black horses, followed immediately by officers bearing four brown Stetsons. Once at the service, the Stetsons were carried through a sea of red serge and gently set below portraits of RCMP Constables Peter Schiemann, Brock Myrol, Leo Johnston and Anthony Gordon. Officers bearing the hats on black pillows walked side by side inside the Butterdome before placing them on four RCMP horse blankets, which lay in front of the official portraits of the dead officers. The officers, close friends of the slain Mounties, then saluted their fallen comrades.
Addressing the gathering, Chaplain Serge Giroux told the crowd "Lord, we come before you today to remember a tragic event, a tragic event that has led to sadness and suffering across this land." Ian Tyson then sang "Four Strong Winds," a song long closely identified with Alberta. Tyson was the song's composer.
Tyson was followed by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, who praised their service, urging all to "remember those who have given everything. We are here as Canadians to give what consolation we can." Referring to the families of the officers, Clarkson offered "We know you may feel no consolation is possible yet we offer it all the same."
"What must never leave you is the gratitude of a nation," she said. "These men so cared about the public good that they were willing to die to serve it. As we have always known, true honour is not for those who have received, but to those who have given."
Prime Minister Paul Martin said all Canadians owe a debt to the four men. "We are left numb that a single act of hate has affected so many lives, caused so much grief," he said. "They have fallen in service to us."
"Our words do not do justice to our sense of sorrow," added Alberta Premier Ralph Klein. "We don't pretend to know the depth of your pain, but as you grieve may you take comfort in knowing that a province and the nation grieve with you."
Bill Sweeney, the RCMP's commanding officer of Alberta, affirmed "Let there be no mistake that our strength is found in the morality of our cause and we will prevail in this test of faith."
"While we may pause to mourn alongside Peter, Leo, Tony and Brock's families, let there be no mistake that our strength is found in the morality of our cause and we will prevail through this terrible test of faith."
Peter Schiemann's father, Reverend Don Schiemann, said a three-minute eulogy wasn't enough time to paint a fair picture of his son, but invited everyone to stop by their home where the family could bend ears for hours over a pot of coffee. "We can tell you why there's a faint hint of a smile in his portrait," he said, referring to the formal RCMP picture behind him. "Peter, we will see you in heaven, but we can hardly wait."
Susan Aglukark performed the Fleetwood Mac tune "Songbird," and Tom Jackson, accompanying himself on a small traditional drum, sang "Amazing Grace." The haunting bugle notes of "The Last Post" hung over the final moments of the two-hour memorial.
A memorial was held for James Roszko later in the evening. The last memorial for the four officers slain took place in Mayerthorpe, Alberta on March 15, 2005.
- Queen Elizabeth II, in a message to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
Prince Philip and I were shocked to learn of the deaths of four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in Alberta. Please convey to the families of those killed our sincerest condolences on their terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this most difficult time.
- Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin
No matter the era, it seems that children always want to grow up to be police officers - to wear the uniform, enforce the law, catch the criminal. There's a timeless appeal to this impulse. It reflects a young mind's growing understanding of right and wrong. It reflects a young heart's yearning to keep people safe and families whole.
Years pass, children grow up, but for some the desire, the dream, remains. The idealism and fantasy of a child give way to the realism and determination of an adult. There are bad people in the world, and they do bad things. Someone must stand against them.
Anthony Gordon, Lionide Johnston, Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann: This was their dream. They dedicated themselves to standing up for what is good in our world, to serving their community, to protecting their neighbours.
With their loss, we are left numb that a single act of hate has affected so many lives, caused so much grief, interrupted so much love. With their loss, there is a singular intensity to our mourning - those who have fallen have done so selflessly; those who have fallen have done so in service to a nation, to an ideal; they have fallen in service to us.
We use the word debt to remind us of something owed. The people of Canada owe an untold debt to these four officers and to their families. We owe a debt to each and every woman and man who chooses to put on the uniform, to submit to risk, to face harm, to uphold the law. The presence here of so many police officers, from cities and communities across the continent, is a testament to the camaraderie and the devotion that thrives within the law enforcement community. The bonds forged by dangers shared are strong and they are everlasting.
Most Canadians know these four constables only through media reports and the official RCMP photographs we've all seen on television and in newspapers. It can be heartbreaking to look at those pictures, for in their faces there is youth, and in their expressions a solemn dedication to duty - a duty that would ultimately call for the greatest sacrifice.
But look closer, and in their eyes there is pride. Look closer, and on one, even the hint of a smile. How could they not have been proud? They were members of our national police force. They were Mounties. To wear the uniform of the RCMP is to dedicate oneself to feats of courage and nobility of purpose. These four young men, alive in the early summer of life, rest now in the serenity of God's embrace. They are mourned by neighbours, and by a nation. Their memory will be eternal. So too will our gratitude.
The last memorial for the four officers slain took place in Mayerthorpe, Alberta on March 15, 2005. A gathering in number nearly double the town’s population of 1,500 were accommodated in three schools.
Chairs were set up in two gymnasiums at the junior and senior high school, as well as in eight classrooms, and in an elementary school across town. The venues were connected via video so that all could see and hear the service. Most in the audience wore red and white ribbons.
Children from the local elementary school sang and recited a speech in memory of the officers. A serge-clad Mountie shook the hand of each student as they left the stage.
A slide show projected on the gym wall showed the Mounties grinning, posing with local sports teams or getting their heads shaved to raise money for a boy with cancer. Students from the junior and senior high school read essays and poems, addressing how proud the community was to have known the four officers.
Mayerthorpe's mayor, Albert Schalm, talked about how proud he was of how the town handled being thrust into the national spotlight. "You showed the nation the definition of community," Schalm said. "Mayerthorpe has the opportunity to make a difference, more than any other community at the moment."
Colleen Myrol, mother of Brock Myrol, told the mourners, “We must move on now. We must to look to the future. Enjoy the next hockey game. Go to the rodeo. Go to the ball games. Enjoy the new births.” She appealed to those gathered to show love and kindness to Roszko's family. John Roszko, James Roszko’s brother, also attended the ceremony.
In addition to the moment of silence, the four officers received a heartfelt round of applause and standing ovation in thanks for the time they served the community.
In typical rural tradition, the memorial was followed by a lunch offered across the way at the community hall. Townsfolk had started preparing food Friday.