Shadow Box
This wood shadow box holds a number of items that symbolize Brent Poland’s military service. The Canadian flag was used to drape Brent’s coffin and presented to the family along with his beret and Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) cap badge. The blue and yellow regimental flag of the RCR is also included. The two medals are the South East Asia Medal (bronze star) and the Sacrifice Medal (silver). Also housed within the box is a small vial of sand which was picked up in Afghanistan by Brent’s father Don Poland, who visited the country in the spring of 2008.
Notes to Mrs. Moore’s 4th Grade class, Confederation Central School (transcribed)
Brent also had a soft spot for children and in his pocket when he died was a letter received from a classroom taught by one of his mother’s friends.
The grade 4 class enjoyed writing and receiving letters with Brent and were excited that he took the time to reply. Brent had these rough notes in his pocket when he lost his life. They would have been written a week or so before his death.
To: Mrs. Moore’s 4th Grade Class
- Thanks
- We ride in heavily armoured vehicles called LAV III
- We patrol our area of operation for suspected Taliban fighters, and go into villages and district centers to provide
protection for our bosses who have meetings called Shuras.
- We generally provide a presence in our area of operations, to let the Taliban know we are here, and to restrict their
freedom of movement so that they can not terrorize the local population. These Shuras are important to ensure the
local villagers have a say in the reconstruction process.
- Yes there are landmines and the occasional ambush, but our training is world class, so that protects us from being
in too much danger.
- We sleep in sleeping bags behind our vehicles wherever we stop for the night.
- My name is Corporal Brent Poland. A corporal is a rank in the army one step above a private.
- We help train the Afghan national police to do things like set up vehicle check points in order to search for weapons
and explosives.
- The people are generally poor, but things are improving.
- Since we have been here there is a new road.
- A canal/irrigation project is underway to help the people in the area grow better crops.
- They are mostly farmers.
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