‘I’ve carried it with me now for 50 years’: Peacekeepers mark 50th anniversary since fatal attack

A ceremony was held in Winnipeg’s Memorial Park on Friday morning honouring the memory of nine Canadian peacekeepers killed 50 years ago.

On Aug. 9, 1974, nine Canadian Armed Forces members were killed when their plane was shot down in a Syrian missile attack. The troops were taking part in a routine supply run from Egypt to Damascus.

“I was there in 1974 when the Buffalo Aircraft was shot down,” Charles Cameron, president of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping, told CTV News. “I’ve carried it with me now for 50 years.”

The incident is the largest single-day loss of Canadian Armed Forces personnel in a peace support mission.

“I don’t think we should ever forget that,” Cameron said. “And over the years, we’ve had other U.N. participants not make it home, and I think it’s very important that we keep their memories alive.”

National Peacekeepers Day – recognized on August 9 each year – was established in 2008 to honour Canadians who have served in international peace and security operations.

The federal government estimates more than 125,000 Canadian peacekeepers have taken part in dozens of operations around the world since 1948.