Hundreds of people in Toronto braved wind chill factors of - 21 C and blowing snow to pay their respects Sunday to four Canadian soldiers who died Afghanistan, their remains travelling on the Highway of Heroes with a Canadian journalist who died in the same blast.
People waited for hours along bridges and overpasses along Highway 401 in the GTA, including Brock Rd. in Pickering, and a bridge on McCowan Rd. in Scarborough.
Sgt. George Miok, 28, and Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21, both of Edmonton; Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28, of Yarmouth, N.S.; Pte. Garrett Chidley, 21, of Cambridge, Ont. and Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang died Wednesday in Kandahar when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Toronto Police Const. Greg Casbourn said the crowd of about 100 people, who waited through the afternoon on the McCowan Rd. bridge, was the largest he has seen in the four years he has paid respects at this location.
"It's very cold standing out on this bridge today and it's nice to see all the people come out to pay respect to all the people that are defending our country," he told ctvtoronto.ca
Barb Sokolowski, who waited for about an hour before the convoy passed under the bridge, said waiting in the cold is the least she could do.
"(The cold) is really nothing compared to what they're doing for us and they've lost their lives for us, so out of respect for their families I want to say thank you for what you've done for us, for the country," she said.
Stuart Angco stood out from many of the people gathered on the bridge because he waved a large, red flag with a yellow ribbon that said "Support our Troops."
He is a military reservist, based at Fort York in Toronto. He has not had the chance to go to Afghanistan, but said it is something he would like to do.
He said he was there to support the four soldiers, Lang, and their families.
"As a soldier and a civilian, I believe in this mission," he said. "Unfortunately, four of our brothers and a journalist are coming home."
