About the sourcing and setup of the LAV III

When the Airdrie Legion's LAV III Committee initially gathered with a view to volunteer some time to put together this monument for younger veterans, it was soon realized that there was a long hard hill to climb.

In the beginning it was thought that the group merely needed to put down a simple concrete pad, park this Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) on it, and then walk away.

It became rather clear early on in the process that this simplicity did not exist, i.e. there were numerous pages of government drawings and specifications for the concrete pad alone that needed to be addressed, among many other details needing attention.

After a slow start, the Airdrie Legion's LAV III Committee was astonished to learn that support would come from not only a few members of the Airdrie Legion, but individuals, as well as companies, big and small, and other organizations such as Airdrie's cadets, were responding to the requests for help by getting on board and assisting with this important project.

Responses to the requests for help and donations started to come in.  The generosity of people, who all wanted to acknowledge the sacrifice that some of our young men and women had made by paying the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of others, was almost overwhelming.

Without the generous help and support of our Sponsors, this project could not have happened.

Slowly but surely we are losing our older veterans.  It sure is nice to know that so many people are willing to thank our young armed service personnel who've put themselves in harms way for the sake of world peace.

One hundred and sixty two Canadians gave their lives in Afghanistan.  Others have done so in combat, peace keeping, and humanitarian missions elsewhere around the world.

An even greater number of members of the Canadian Armed Forces have had their lives forever changed due to their dedicated service to our country, and to the various places in the world where they served.  We will forever be in their debt.

"LEST WE FORGET".​

Airdrie's LAV III Monument was not only the first LAV III monument brought to Alberta, but more importantly, it was the first one to be established in all of Western Canada!

This monument is part of a nation-wide program developed and administered by the Canada Company.

The Light Armoured Vehicle Monument Program recognizes the service and sacrifice of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan by providing full-size demilitarized replica LAV III units to qualifying communities throughout Canada.

Full details about the LAV III Monument Program can be found at the Canada Company website.