Soldiers in CFB Petawawa Pay Tribute to Cpl Matthew McCully

Despite the heat, over 500 people gathered at the 1 RCR Drill Hall at CFB Petawawa to pay tribute to their fallen friend, Corporal Matthew McCully on June 12th, 2007. Family members,

friends, soldiers, retired veterans, and honourary guests filled the room to celebrate the life and
mourn the loss of their friend and hero. Corporal McCully, from 2 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron was killed by an improvised explosive device during a patrol in Afghanistan on May 25,2007.
Colonel Thompson and Major Lambert off e r e d reassurance that Matthew did not die in vain. “What he did in Afghanistan, what ALL Canadians are doing out there, it is making a difference. It is making the world and Canada a safer place and is helping improve the lives of Afghan people…”
Major Lambert talked about Corporal McCully as a soldier who wanted to make a difference, and who wanted to serve in Afghanistan. He praised Corporal McCully’s courage and dedication,
and then spoke to the mourners, “I look around this room and I see soldiers of all ages, all trades, who felt exactly the same way Matthew did. He would be proud of you; and so am I”.

Following the Commanders’ words, some of Corporal McCully’s peers and friends spoke to his family and friends. “He immediately gained the respect of soldiers above and below his rank,” said Private Steven Hitchie. “He would complete any task without needing much time to prepare”, referring to Corporal McCully’s commendable placement in the Ironman; deciding that morning that he was going to compete.
Corporal Erik Muise described Matthew as being a commendable human being, compassionate,
generous and loyal. He talked about Matthew’s ability as a morale booster and of his reputation as a prankster, telling one particular story while on course in Kingston which brought laughter throughout the room. He closed with a passage that brought him to tears;

“Death left a heartache that no one can heal,

love left with memories that no one can steal,

I will remember you”.

Corporal Matthew McCully at Rest

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Cpl Matthew McCully's family and friends both here and in Afghanistan. Our hearts ache and we grieve with you.

God Bless you Matthew and thank you for all you have done for your country

and the people of Afghanistan. You will always be remembered.

Cpl. Kyle Powell (centre) walks solemly from the church following his comrade's funeral.

Powell was with Orangeville's Cpl. Matthew McCully when he died in Afghanistan last week.

About 1000 people attended a funeral service for the "polite, courteous, respectful and loving" Corporal Matthew J. McCully of Canadian Forces' 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 11:00 am at Tweedsmuir Memorial Presbyterian Church. , 6 John St, Orangeville. Speakers were set up outside the church so an overflow crowd in a legion parking lot across the road could hear the service.

Matthew died while serving his country in Afghanistan, on Friday, May 25, 2007 in his 26th year. To his family - mother and dad Valerie McGrady and Ron McCully, step-dad Neal Weise, sister and brother Shannon and Daniel, little nephew Joshua, step brothers Joseph, Bailey and Jordan, and grandparents John Perozick and the late Robert and Karen McCully, he was remembered as the outdoorsy, red-haired boy. He loved fishing, hiking and camping.

Eight members of McCully's squadron carried his casket into the church, escorted by Cpl. Kyle Powell, who was in the field with McCully when his life was taken and brought his remains home.

To his fellow soldiers, he was remembered as responsible and dutiful.
These family groups: both friends and relatives, and military family in Matthew McCully’s life came together yesterday for the funeral of the communications specialist who died in Afghanistan last Friday. He was killed when a landmine exploded.

Those in attendance, both inside and outside the church, heard stories of how McCully would spend hours making sure his combat uniform was just right for inspection and how, as a child, he was eager to share the knowledge he learned as a member of the Scouts.

“He was one of those kids you just trusted,” his aunt Brenda Freer said in the eulogy.
"He was a fun-loving young man, who had a little smirk and a twinkle in his eye.... Matthew joined Boy Scouts and he would try to teach his siblings and cousins what he had learned about surviving in the wilderness. He was a natural teacher -- extremely patient for his years.
When I found out he was training soldiers in the Afghan army, I knew he'd be awesome at it.

Matthew was trilingual. He spoke English, a little French and army," she said. "On behalf of our family, I want you soldiers to know we will continue to think of you, support you and pray for you."

"It was a long journey from Orangeville to Afghanistan for Cpl. Matthew McCully, and it was a long journey back home" Mjr. Doug Friesen said during yesterday's funeral service for the fallen soldier. "Along the way, Cpl. Matthew McCully had some amazing adventures. He saw some very interesting places and he made some wonderful friends," commented the chaplain from CFB Petawawa, where McCully was based. "Matthew spent part of his precious life walking with the people of Afghanistan on their long journey to a better life."

As stories of McCully's life were shared, many in the pews sniffled and tried to hold back tears -- wiping them away in virtual silence. "We come together today as one; one community, one family, one nation in mourning," commented Rev. Harvey Self, who officiated the service with Friesen. "We come to honour one of our own, here in Matthew's home town of Orangeville. To honour a brother in arms, a son, brother and nephew."

“He had the ability to bring out the best as a soldier and a friend,” said Corporal Sandy Gauthier, from the Second Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Petawawa, who also eulogized McCully. He told of how McCully would take car keys away from friends who were going out for a night of drinking and carousing. And always made sure his uniform was neat and presentable, Gauthier said.

"Matthew gave this country the ultimate sacrifice anybody could give.... What Matt was doing was what he believed was best for his country and family," Cpl. Gauthier said in his eulogy. Gauthier served with McCully and was a close friend outside of their duties. "He was a brother to all of us. There are two types of people in the military; those who need the military and those who the military needs. Matt was what the Canadian Forces needed," Gauthier said. "He will be missed and never forgotten. Welcome home brother."

Following the service, family, friends and military representatives laid the soldier to rest during a private ceremony at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Orangeville. A gathering for the public was hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion, across the street from where the funeral service took place.

As expressions of sympathy, donations to Scouts Canada would be appreciated by the family.

http://www.scouts.ca/inside.asp?cmPageID=359

To send condolences to Matthew McCully's family, simply click the button below :

A tree will be planted in memory of Matthew in the Dods & McNair Memorial Forest at the Island Lake Conservation Area, Orangeville. A dedication service will be held on Sunday, September 9th, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.

401 Bridges Lined to Honour Canadian Soldier

Photo credit: Pete Fisher
Emergency services personnel and citizens line a
401 overpass bridge at Cobourg in honour of the
passing procession bearing the body of Canada's
55th casualty in Afghanistan, Corporal Matthew McCully.

Northumberland County honours Afghan combat fatalities
With transport horns honking in the background, Peg Smith could hardly get the words out to explain why she came to the Ontario Street bridge in Cobourg to watch the procession carrying the remains of Corporal Matthew McCully pass by Monday evening. Corporal McCully was killed May 25 at approximately 8 a.m. Kandahar time by an improvised explosive device while conducting a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol close to the village of Nalgham, approximately 35 km west of Kandahar City. It’s the first time Ms. Smith has come to the overpass to watch the funereal procession for a fallen Canadian Armed Forces member as it passes from CFB Trenton to Toronto.
"I feel bad," an emotional Ms. Smith said, her 12-year-old daughter Becky standing beside her. Across Northumberland County, between Trenton and Toronto, it has become a tradition for emergency personnel and citizens to gather on bridges spanning Highway 401 to salute fallen forces personnel and their families. Monday night, bridges from Brighton west to Port Hope had people standing vigil. Every Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan is repatriated at CFB Trenton. The body is then directly transported o Toronto for an autopsy. Cobourg resident Peter O’Donnell said he has witnessed approximately 40 of the 55 Canadian forces personnel killed in Afghanistan passing through Northumberland County. Wearing a red shirt with the word "Canada" and a "Support the Troops " hat, he says has a number of reasons why he chooses to come to a bridge spanning Highway 401. "I’m a very strong military supporter and I also have a son who is currently in Afghanistan. I have a daughter in the navy. I feel it’s my duty to be here to honour our fallen. "It’s to let the families know that we are behind their son, their daughter and that we mourn with them." Although he comes each time to the overpass, because their son is serving in Afghanistan, his wife can’t bring herself to come to the bridge, Mr. O'Donnell says. "It’s devastating because I know what my wife and I go through on a daily basis. My wife will not come here tonight, not because she lacks respect, but because she’s a wreck - it’s that simple." Ms. Smith and her daughter were the first ones on the Cobourg bridge Monday. They were joined later by many others wearing red and carrying Canadian flags. Although it’s the first time she has gone to the bridge, if another Canadian soldier falls in the line of duty, she said she and her daughter will be at the bridge to show their support.

Fallen Soldier is Returning Home

May 28, 2007
Our fallen soldier, Corporal Matthew McCully, a member of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron (2 CMBG HQ & Sig Sqn), based in Petawawa, Ontario, is scheduled to return home to Canada today.
Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario.
When: Monday, May 28, 7:30 p.m.
Present to pay their respects will be The Minister of National Defence, Gordon O'Connor, and other dignitaries.

Bless him on his journey home.

A further note: In Northumberland County, there will be people standing on bridges over Highway 401 at Colborne, Grafton, Cobourg and Port Hope to mark the passing of the hearse and escort vehicles.

9:01 pm

Canadian Soldier, Cpl. Matthew McCully was returned to Canadian soil to his family today at CFB Trenton during a repatriation ceremony.
A CC-130 Hercules aircraft carrying his remains touched down at the base just before 7:30 p.m.
The final note of the piper's skirl hung heavily in the still night air as eight Canadian soldiers carried the flag-draped casket of Cpl. Matthew McCully across the tarmac at this eastern Ontario military base.
Governor General Michaelle Jean, Cief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier and Defence minister Gordon O’Connor joined military officials and grieving relatives on the tarmac as McCully’s casket was carried from the aircraft by fellow soldiers. Just metres away, McCully’s mother, Valerie McGrady, locked arms with her daughter, Shannon, and her partner, Neil Weise. McCully’s younger brother, Daniel, stood beside them—solemnly staring into the open hearse. McCully’s father, Ron, wearing a white cowboy hat and dark sunglasses, clutched red and white roses. His wife, Michelle, hugged his left arm as his son’s casket was lowered into the hearse for the last leg of its journey home. McGrady knelt on the ground after placing a single red rose on her son’s coffin before military officials guided the family into three waiting black limousines. The limousines drove slowly from the tarmac—passing one large and half-a-dozen small Canadian flags placed on the base’s barbed-wire fence by Bob and Demetra Belear of Belleville, Ont.
Bob Belear said he and his wife have been to almost every repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton, and he said they always hang the flags on the fence out of respect for the soldiers. “The flag is our country’s flag, and these men and women are serving our country,” he said. “When you see civilians on this side of the fence, it shows respect for the sacrifice they made.”

"Thank you Mr. & Mrs Belear" on behalf of military familes and friends.

"As well, thank you Mr. Don Cherry for your reflection during the hockey intermission in regards to Canada's fallen soldier- Cpl Matthew McCully."

Ramp Ceremony for Cpl Matthew McCully

He's coming home...

Photos by: Sgt Craig Fiander, DND

May 26, 2007 Kandahar, Afghanistan
Comrades of Corporal Matthew J. McCully slowly march his casket to the waiting C130 Hercules transport plane. Approximately 500 members of the Joint Task Force and Soldiers from other International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) countries gathered to pay their respects for Corporal McCully during a Repatriation Ramp Ceremony.Soldiers stood in a rigid military salute as the procession passed by, and as a piper's mournful tune echoed across the base.
McCully, 25, grew up in Orangeville, Ont., but his father and step-mother live in Prince George, B.C.
He was described as a likeable and professional soldier by Maj. Peter Sullivan, acting commander of Canada's Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team, or OMLT, of which McCully was a member.
"Matt McCully was a tremendously professional soldier," Sullivan said Saturday at Kandahar Airfield.
"I found him certainly to be a mature young man, and somebody whose company was enjoyed by all, so he will be greatly missed."
The OMLT team trains Afghans to fight as organized units.
McCully, who was based out of CFB Petawawa, was killed during Operation Hoover, an operation intended to push Taliban militants out of the volatile Zhari district.
He is the 55th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan since 2002.
The incident occurred roughly 35 kilometres west of Kandahar City in the volatile Zhari district. Operation Hoover is the largest offensive in nearly two months that Canadian troops have participated in.
McCully, a signals operator from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, died alongside the Afghan soldiers he helped mentor.
"During this operation the Afghan forces were moving forward, leading this operation to clear some of the areas, making sure that the Afghan people there were secure and that there were no Taliban in the area," Col. Mike Cessford, deputy commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan, confirmed Friday.
"Our mentoring team are comrades-in-arms with the Afghans -- they share the risk, they work closely with them -- and unfortunately as the soldier was moving forward with other Canadians and other Afghan soldiers an IED was triggered and he was killed."
One other Canadian soldier, also a member of the mentoring team, and an Afghan interpreter were wounded in the incident. The Canadian was airlifted to Kandahar Airfield with non-life threatening injuries, while the Afghan stayed with the unit.
Gen. Rick Hillier, Chief of Defence Staff, said in Toronto Friday McCully served an extremely important role in giving Afghans the necessary tools to help bring security to their country.
"One of our key lines of operation is to help build the capacity of the Afghan people to do their own security," Hillier told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.
"We do that by working the Afghan National Army, which started about four-and-a-half years ago, and helping make their soldiers into trained, effective, professional soldiers. And turn those soldiers as collectives into effective units."
Operation Hoover also includes Portuguese soldiers and British air support but troops from the Afghan National Army are taking the lead in the charge.

Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the Death of Corporal Matthew McCully

The Honourable Gordon O'Connor, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement today on the death of Corporal Matthew McCully:"It is with great sadness that I learned today of the death of Corporal Matthew McCully.On behalf of all our brave men and women in uniform I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Corporal McCully. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in their time of grief. Our thoughts are also with those who were injured in the accident. We wish them a prompt recovery.Corporal McCully was killed while conducting a joint Afghan-Canadian foot patrol - part of an initiative that enables the Afghanistan National Army to help secure peace and stability in Afghanistan and extend the legitimate authority of the Government of Afghanistan.Through the dedication and bravery of soldiers like Corporal McCully, Canada is helping Afghans, and working with Afghans, to build a better and brighter future for Afghanistan while ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a base for terrorism.The sacrifice Corporal McCully made in honour of Canada and the Canadian people will not be forgotten."

Corporal Matthew J. McCully ~ May 25th, 2007

As Military Moms and Dads, families and friends, our hearts are brought together, holding out our hands and being strong for each other as we hear news of a fallen soldier. Today, our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with the family (home and military) and friends of Corporal Matthew McCully today.

Photo: DND

Corporal Matthew J. McCully

Cpl McCully was killed earlier today in Afghanistan. He was a Signals Operator based at 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, CFB Petawawa, Ontario. His next of kin have been notified.
Corporal McCully tragically lost his life after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the proximity of where he was patrolling by foot, along with Afghan national security forces, close to the village of Nalgham, approximately 35 km west of Kandahar City. The incident occurred at approximately 8:00 a.m. Kandahar time.
The courage and dedication demonstrated by Corporal McCully in his efforts to assist the Afghan national security forces represent Canada in the proudest way. He will be missed by many.