A "Last Post" Post
A lady died yesterday morning. That's not unusual. 1.93 people die every second of every day in this far-flung world of ours - some die by violence, in wars, killed horribly by those who consider them an "enemy"; and others just die because their bodies have had enough and it's time for them to rest.
Captain BB was in that latter category. After several years of fighting cancer, by hook or by crook, the cancer "won".
I met Cpt. BB when she was in charge of the Strathroy cadet corps, many years ago; Sir Goobs was in cadets for about two years, but in the middle of the second year, he started going off the deep end, bringing things to various places that should never have been there, lying about everything, etc. At that point, she had had her first bout with it and was no longer in actual command of the corps; however, she was in charge of a place called Peacekeeper Park. It was a camp intended for cadets who just didn't fit in with other cadet camps, usually due to developmental delays or mental issues of one kind or another. She had a son with Downs Syndrome, and the things that regular Army cadet campers do just would not have been possible for him. So, she formed Peacekeeper Park and had it going for a long time, I think about fifteen years. Dozens of cadets passed through its gates, making memories that they wouldn't otherwise have made. It was a great place, from everything I heard.
Unfortunately, all things come to an end. When Cpt.BB was sick, she was unable to continue advocating for the program. Funds weren't raised. Programs couldn't continue. And eventually, the Park was closed, with a bit of fanfare, a lot of tears, and also a fair bit of regret.
Cpt.BB always looked good in her uniform, standing beside her husband in his uniform - both were captains in the Army Reserve, and they were just plain good people. But we kept getting news that the cancer was back, the cancer was taking longer to beat, the cancer was winning this time. And yesterday morning, the news was spread that it was over.
Fare thee well, Cpt.BB. We will remember you, as we remember all who have served and brought honour to the uniform.