The Royal Canadian Legion announced Sunday that Virginia Hicks, from the community of Frankford, Ontario, as this year’s National Silver Cross Mother. On November 11, she will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Mrs. Hicks’ daughter, Sapper Mariebeth Short served with 2 Combat Engineering Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ontario.

Mariebeth was killed on September 23, 2002, 22-years-old, during a training exercise on the Matawa Plains in Petawawa. The exercise was a recap, a part of the overall intensive training the Sappers completed to learn everything possible about LAVs (light armoured vehicles). The vehicle she was traveling in that day rolled, and she did not survive.