The Canadian Landmine Foundation

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Hall of Honour
General Gordon Reay
The first project of the Peacekeepers Demining fund honours Lieutenant-General Gordon Reay who was killed in a tragic accident on December 13th, 2000 while on a humanitarian mission in Croatia. General Reay was serving as a special advisor to Canada's Ambassador for Mine Action. He was working to eradicate anti-personnel landmine stockpiles in Eastern Europe and South Eastern Europe. Gordon Reay grew up in Montreal and joined the Canadian Military in 1961 as a cadet at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. He graduated in 1965. In 1975, after a tour of peacekeeping duty in Cyprus he was awarded the Member of British Empire (MBE). He became Commander of the Canadian Land Force in January 1993. The project is a 19,172 m2 minefield in the village of Kula is in Busovaca municipality, Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the war, this village was between the HVO and ABIH confrontation line. The area is presently abandoned because the threat of mines prevents villagers from returning. Major donors to this effort include: National Defence College of Canada Class XXXIX Dew Engineering Development Limited Computing Devices Canada Judy Geller Sher-Faber Virginia Analyze This! Film Course Events Carolyn Parrish, M.P. Federal Riding Association of Mississauga Centre Daniel Livermore Maxfield Foundation
Master Corporal Mark Isfeld
The second project of the Peacekeepers Demining Fund honoured Master Corporal Mark Isfeld. Mark Isfeld served in 1 COMBAT ENGINEER REGIMENT Canadian Military Engineers until he was killed removing landmines on June 21, 1994 near Kakma, Croatia while carrying out UN peacekeeping duties. This was Mark's third peacekeeping tour within a two and one half year period; two in Europe and one in Kuwait. Mark Isfeld was born on August 14, 1962, married Kelly of Everson, Washington in 1991, and was 31 at the time of his death. Mark took a great interest in the children of the areas where he was serving, often handing out dolls that his mother Carol would knit from scrap wool. After Mark was killed, the troops of 1CER named them Izzy Dolls and Carol continues to knit them for the members of the regiment to give out in Mark's memory. The minefield cleared in Master Corporal Isfeld's name is in Croatia near where he was killed. The 27,000 m² minefield is located in Bila Vilka village. The area is contaminated by mines and includes homes, a local playground, and a portion of the Vuksic-Bila Vlaka Stankovci road belt. The area was severely affected by the war and most of the population has returned, despite the threat of landmines. This mine action project was vital to the safety of the men, women and children who live in the area. Major donors to this effort include: Maxwell Cumming Family Foundation Alberta Energy Company Limited Glebe Collegiate Institute F.R.A.P.P.E The Norman and Margaret Jewison Foundation The Burton Charitable Foundation St. Paul's Church Senator Michael Meighen Mr. Brendan and Mrs. Lesley Reay Hershell and Sharyn Salsberg Ezrin Graeme and Sara Thomson Larry and Kathy Conlee Med-Eng Systems Adopt-A-Minefield-Quinte The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia Senators Against Landmines.
The Royal Canadian Regiment, 3rd Battalion Group
On October 2, 2003, Sgt. Robert Short and Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, two soldiers with The Royal Canadian Regiment, 3rd Battalion were killed and three others injured in a landmine blast while on a routine patrol of Kabul, Afghanistan. This project of the Peacekeepers Demining Fund cleared 120,000 square metres of residential and agricultural land in the area of Kabul, Afghanistan in recognition of the service of the 3rd Battalion Group of the Royal Canadian Regiment and in memory of Sgt. Short and Cpl. Beerenfenger. While the soldiers in Afghanistan were not serving on a peacekeeping mission, their role as part of the International Stability Force was essential to preserving peace. National Defence Tribute to Sgt. Short and Cpl. Beerenfenger The project was undertaken by Afghan Technical Consultants (ATC) which was founded in 1989 and is one of the largest and leading mine clearance organizations currently operating in Afghanistan. ATC now employs nearly 1300 Afghans. ATC-07-08 and ACT-07 - 09 funded ATC Team #7 from June to September 2004. Major Donors to this effort include: Operation Hockey Heroes organized by Mike Chatwin and Maj. John Lalonde supported by the Canadian Forces personnel serving at Camp Julien in December 2003. Peerless Garments, Winnipeg MB Hon. Hilary Weston Senators Against Landmines, led by Senator Elisabeth Hubley.
Honouring the Buffalo 9
Photograph of Buffalo 461 taken approximately two weeks before the aircraft was shot down on 09 August 1974 killing Capt G.G. Foster, 116 ATU; Cpl M.H.T. Kennington, Cdn Contingent Admin Unit; A/MWO C.B. Korejwo, 1 RCR; MWO G. Landry, 3 R22eR; Capt K.B. Mirau, 116 ATU; Cpl M.W. Simpson, 116 ATU; MCpl R.C. Spencer, 116 ATU; Cpl B.K. Stringer, 116 ATU; Capt R.B. Wicks, 116 ATU. In late 1973 the Canadian Forces commenced another United Nations operation in the Middle East (UNITED NATIONS EMERGENCY FORCE II). Included in Canada's commitment to the mission was the tasking of two Canadian Forces' Buffalo aircraft and crews, whose home station was Trenton, Ontario. In the Middle East, the unit was stationed in Ismailia, Egypt, a small city next to the Suez Canal. Upon arrival in Egypt, the Buffalo aircraft and their crews immediately commenced operations, flying on a basis of 150 hours monthly. The flying was very demanding, not only due to the ever-changing weather but the danger of flying in a war zone. This latter aspect was brought home tragically on the 9th of August 1974 when Buffalo aircraft number 115461 while on a routine United Nations flight to Damascus, Syria, from Beirut, Lebanon climbed eastward over the Lebanese highlands, and was shot down by the Syrian Armed Forces. Apparently the Buffalo was 'painted' by Syrian radar, and subsequently destroyed by Syrian surface-to-air missiles. The Syrians claim it was an accident in that the Buffalo had shown up on their radar as an Israeli enemy aircraft in an 'attack profile' heading towards Damascus. The Buffalo crashed near the village of Diemas, Lebanon. Aircraft Captain Gary Foster of Calgary, and his crew and passengers totalling nine Peacekeepers were killed in the crash of the Buffalo aircraft. In the 60 years of service on International Peacekeeping duties throughout the world, the incident of the 9th of August 1974 was the worst loss of Canadian Peacekeepers during any one incident. A mine clearance project is underway in their memory near Kabul Afghanistan where the Canadian soldiers are currently serving. A second survivor assistance project is underway in Cambodia in recogniotion of the sacrifice of peacekeepers families.
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