William has been on my mind since the Toronto wear red rally and I came into close contact with his father, Errol Cushley:
I watched Mr. Cushley closely after that. I kept thinking that, while I agree with the mission, agree that Canadians belong in Afghanistan, I knew that if given the deal, the Faustian bargain, my son for the mission, I would say no: Let the damn Taliban have the place, let them have this one too. I'll give Canada over to the Muslims, rather than pay that price. But Errol Cushley paid the price, and here he stood barely three weeks later, supporting the troops, supporting the mission even.
William was born in Port Lambton, Ontario, and is buried there. He is survived by his father, mother and three sisters - not to mention his girlfriend Karine.
On this Remembrance Day, instead of doing the usual foot shuffle, I used the two minutes of silence to offer a prayer for William Cushley and his family. I told my children about William, or at least tried to but couldn't do so without becoming verklempt. For me, this year, Remembrance Day became personal.
