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Susan O'Riordan and her father Eric Timms, left, gently lay a flag in the hearse. Upper right, a S oO e ro e S myles and Susan O'Riordan during the ceremony. \bove, members of the Royal Canadian Legion noth with the memorial flags. are laid to rest renner Canadian soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice while serving in Afghanistan were honoured on May 8th at an emotional ceremony in front of Wagg Funeral Home, Port Perry. Veterans, members of the Royal Canadian Legion, firefighters, police and civilians gathered along Perry Street to pay tribute to Canada’s fallen, as 158 flags representing those killed, were decommissioned. In 2010, Myles O'Riordan, owner of the Wagg Funeral Home, cre- ated the “Flags of Our Heroes” display on the east side of his down- town building. In front of a plaque reading, “Dedicated to our Fallen Heroes”, a single Canadian flag on a slender steel post was placed to represent each soldier killed during the war. It was hard to miss the display of dozens of red maple leaf flags fluttering in the wind in downtown Port Perry and it was certainly a reminder to the public of the tragedy of war. With the Afghan war over and most Canadian soldiers now back home, Myles arranged for a decommissioning service for the memorial. A moving ceremony took place which included each flag being care- fully removed from its stand. The flags were then handed to a veteran or anyone interested in participating, who marched them to the rear of the Waee’s hearse where they were gently laid in a growing pile of red and wl ironically the May 8th service took place on VE Day (Victory in Europe) - the day which marked the official end of WWII in Europe. Mayor Chuck Mercier pays tribute to the fallen. 26 FOCUS - JUNE 2012 05, JUNE 40 PAGES REVISED.indd 26 12-05-21 10:00 AM