An Ottawa soldier based in Afghanistan whose great-grandfather fought in the same part of the world 110 years ago was among about 150 personnel honoured with service medals during a ceremony in Kandahar Tuesday. Maj. Walter Taylor's ancestor served in the Tirah Campaign in 1897-98 in what was then India and is now a region of Pakistan close to the Afghanistan border. The latest in a long line of military men in his family, the 33-year-old Taylor carries in his breast pocket a British army medal that Pte. Charles Taylor earned in 1897. "Before coming on this mission, my father, who inherited the medal, gave it to me to take along as a token of family history," said Taylor, who serves with the 53rd Field Squadron, Field Engineers in Afghanistan. "I guess it's a bit of a talisman as well, for good luck." Now he has a medal of his own to bring back to Canada, one of about 150 General Campaign Stars awarded Tuesday by Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, commander of the Canadian forces in Afghanistan. "Hopefully someday one of my children will be as proud to inherit my medal as I was to inherit his," Taylor said of his great-grandfather's medal. General delivers thanks During the ceremony at Kandahar Airfield, the general thanked the troops for their service. "I would like to congratulate all of you who receive this medal today. Be proud; you deserve it." Laroche later told reporters the General Campaign Star represents sacrifice and duty. "It's very important to all of us and it shows that we have responded to the call of our country." Capt. David Holsworth was one of the soldiers on parade at Kandahar to have the star pinned to his chest. "It's been a long five months," said the combat engineer, who had three soldiers in his unit wounded in a bomb attack just a few weeks ago. "It feels nice to get a little pat on the back and a medal lik...
An Ottawa soldier based in Afghanistan whose great-grandfather fought in the same part of the world ...
