National Silver Cross Mother named for 2005



Mrs. Claire Léger of Stittsville, Ontario has been selected by The Royal Canadian Legion as the 2005 Silver (Memorial) Cross Mother. She is the mother of the late army Sergeant Marc Léger.

Sgt. Léger was killed in a friendly fire incident at Tarnak Farm in Afghanistan while serving as a member of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Afghanistan in 2002.

Mrs. Léger will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial during the annual 11 November National Remembrance Day Ceremony on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost sons or daughters in the military or Merchant Navy services of the nation. The ceremony is organized and conducted by the Legion on behalf of the Government of Canada and in memory of all Canadians who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of freedom and peace. Mrs. Léger is also expected to attend a number of other events marking the Year of the Veteran in Canada and will be accompanied by her husband Richard.


Mrs. Claire Léger

The National Silver (Memorial) Cross Mother for 2005 is Mrs. Claire Léger of Stittsville, Ontario . The National Silver Cross Mother is chosen annually by The Royal Canadian Legion to represent the mothers of Canada at the National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa on 11 November. As the Silver Cross Mother she will lay a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who lost children in the military and Merchant Navy services of the nation. In this special Year of the Veteran it is expected that she and her husband Richard will also be invited to participate in other events as well.

Mrs. Léger is the mother of the late Sergeant Marc Léger who died from friendly fire while on duty with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) in Afghanistan in 2002. Mrs. Léger (née Levac) was born in Alexandria, Ontario. She is a high school graduate and is currently employed in the child care sector. She and her husband Richard had three children, their late son Marc Daniel and his sister and brother Sofie Alice and Albert Michel. The one-time residents of Saint Raphael, Lancaster, Orleans and Peterborough, Ontario now reside in Stittsville.

Sergeant Marc Daniel Léger

Sergeant Marc Léger was born in Cornwall, Ontario on 26 March, 1973 and was the eldest of three children born to Claire and Richard Léger. He enrolled in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Forces in March 1991 as a member of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders. The Glengarry High School of Alexandria graduate subsequently transferred to the Regular Force in February 1993 and became a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI).

Following the completion of the PPCLI Battle School he was posted to the Regiment’s First Battalion where he served as a rifleman. He was posted to the Third Battalion in 1996 and served with the unit for three tours in the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia-Herzegovina). He was promoted Acting Sergeant in January 2002. In February 2002 he deployed to Afghanistan with the 3 PPCLI Battle Group as part of Operation Apollo, Canada’s commitment to the international campaign against terrorism. He was parachute qualified and was awarded the South West Asia Medal and the United States Bronze Star posthumously.

Sergeant Léger received a Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Commendation for demonstrating initiative and compassion in dealing with displaced persons and returnees in the Livno Valley in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He had also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Lancaster Joint Fire Department and assisted with the Habitat for Humanity project. He was married to Marley Léger (nee McIntyre) of Edmonton, Alberta.