Solider honoured as he’s laid to rest

Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Hamilton on Tuesday to pay their respects to fallen soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

The regimental funeral brought mourners from across the country to Cirillo’s hometown to say goodbye and thank him for his service. The 24-year-old was fatally shot on Oct. 22 while standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

A member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, his funeral procession filed down Bay Street as those in the crowd watched in silence mixed with moments of applause. Fellow members of Cirillo’s regiment marched alongside his casket, draped in a Canadian flag.

Following behind his casket were members of his family including his mother Kathy, his sister Nicole and his five-year-old son Marcus, wearing his father’s military cap.

Nearly one thousand emergency responders from across the country walked in the procession, including members of Windsor Police Services and U.S. Customers and Border Protection while a military air craft flew above.

As his body was brought into Christ’s Church Cathedral for the private funeral, family, friends and dignitaries gathered inside, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Members of the public and emergency responders gathered inside the First Ontario Centre arena to view the live stream of the funeral and follow along with the service.

Cirillo’s cousin, Jenny Holland, spoke on behalf of the family, calling him Canada’s hero before sharing childhood memories and recalling a man filled with energy and a contagious laugh.

“Nathan may have looked like a big tough man, but he was such a kid at heart,” Holland said. “Marcus adored him so much. Not only was Nathan his dad, he was also his friend.”

Prime Minister Harper’s eulogy thanked Cirillo for guarding the war memorial, and praised his dedication to the military.

“These monuments remind us that freedom is never free. It has been earned by the solider and then donated to all of us,” Harper said. “Corporal Cirillo knew what all those men and women who died before him knew, the only values really worth living for are those worth dying for. So may God bless Corporal Cirillo. We are better for his life and are lessened by his loss.”

He also addressed Cirillo’s young son, offering hope that one day he may take comfort in the fact that the whole country looks up to his father.

Cirillo’s mother wept as Argyll and Sutherland Highlander’s commanding officer Lt.-Col Lawrence Hatfield delivered the final words about her son.

“He never took the hard-knocks or tough challenges personally, he just smiled and soldiered on. Both in the regiment and in life,” said Hatfield. “Loyal, tough, loving and true. His family knew it, his regiment knew it and now Canadians know it.”

After the service, hundreds of people gathered outside the Lt-Col. John Weir Foote armoury to add to the already staggering collection of flowers, cards, gifts and Canadian flags placed there in Cirillo’s honour.