By Pepper Parr
October 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
At just a little after 8:30 this morning, a military driver parked outside Ron Foxcroft’ s home in Burlington to take Ron and his wife Marie to the funeral for Corporal Nathan Cirillo in Hamilton.
Foxcroft is the Honorary Colonel of the The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada. It is an honorary appointment and for the most part a ceremonial role which Foxcroft does very well. He is a folksy, easy going man with that touch for the everyday and at times mundane things that he manages to make interesting and important.
Foxcroft, a basketball referee by passion and a successful entrepreneur by profession, has made an international business out of a piece of plastic that is used as a whistle in every major sport in the world. All this by a guy who didn’t graduate from high school – he was politely asked to leave.
When news of the shooting and death of Corporal Cirillo got to Foxcroft he knew exactly what he had to do – what he didn’t know was how much it was going to take out of him.
Foxcroft is head of the fundraising side of the Burlington Community Foundation Flood Disaster Relief fund. He had to put that on hold and spend the next five days at the Argyll armoury in Hamilton.
“This wasn’t what I signed up for” said Foxcroft as he readied himself for the funeral this morning. “We had dinner last night with the immediate family and the five first responders” said Foxcroft. Corporal Cirillo’s mother wanted to know how her son died.
Barbara Winter’s, a lawyer with 17 years’ experience in the Naval reserve, was walking past the War Memorial in Ottawa on her way to a meeting when she heard the shot and knew immediately that something was wrong. In less than a minute she was on the ground beside the fallen soldier. She was one of five people attending to Cirillo while they waited for an ambulance.
They began trying to find a pulse, one feeling his neck, one his wrist. Remarkably, everyone on the scene had First Aid or medical training. Instinctively, they began operating as a team, talking and encouraging one another.
They began CPR. The soldier at Cirillo’s head started mouth-to-mouth respiration. Winters began compressing Cirillo’s chest. After a time, someone else relieved her on the chest compressions, and Winters moved to Cirillo’s head. She talked to him, comforting him.
“You are loved. Your family loves you. You’re a good man,” she told him.
“Corporal Cirillo’s Mother needed to hear all the details and asked questions of the five responders who were in Hamilton for the funeral and attended the dinner”, said Foxcroft. “I needed to keep it together but it was not easy.”
“It was an exhaustive period of time and part of the job the Honorary Colonel does” explained Foxcroft. While I have rank, I don’t have authority and the men and women of the Regiment are able to talk to me openly.” Last week they needed someone to talk to and Foxcroft was there.
The Regimental Padre knew it was time to let people leave the dinner and prepare for the funeral.
“This task, this experience was not anything I was trained for – but I knew those troops needed me and I was there for them each day”, said Foxcroft.
Marie Foxcroft adjusts the medals on her husband’s uniform as they prepare for the funeral of Corporal Nathan Cirillo.
Wednesday Foxcroft leaves to referee a Raptors game and on the weekend he will be speaking to a group of ‘first responders’ taking part in a course in Niagara Falls.
The Queen is the Colonel in Chief for the Argyll’s. As the Honorary Colonel Foxcroft wrote the Queen advising her of the death of a Corporal in her Regiment.
Your Majesty:
The events of a troubled world are rarely coloured in Canadian hues. Yesterday’s savage act in Ottawa was an exception.
“The eyes of the world focused on the violent death of a young unarmed Canadian soldier as he mounted silent and respectful at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. What is less well known is that Corporal Nathan Cirillo was a serving member of Your Majesty’s Canadian Argylls. It is my sad duty to bring notice of this salient fact to his Colonel in Chief.
At this time of Regimental loss, Argylls remember their Colonel in Chief and reaffirm our dedication to service and the principles they embody.
I remain Your Majesty’s humble and obedient servant,
Ron Foxcroft
Honorary Colonel
Queen Elizabeth responded:
Colonel Foxcroft
“I was so very sorry to learn of the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo under such grievous circumstances. I send my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy, in particular to members of Corporal Cirillo’s own family
Elizabeth R
It wasn’t what Ron Foxcroft signed up for – but it is what he was able to do for his troops.
