Captain M. Cletus Cheng

They say there is no greater bond than the one between a mother and her child. The strong connection between Nancy M. Siew and her son, Captain Cletus Cheng, was evident as she recounted their last phone conversation. She described a gut feeling or as some would call it, a mother’s intuition. “During that last conversation we had, I had an inkling that he would die during the competition… when we got the news that he died, I was numb because I knew it was going to happen. Wasn’t it uncanny that he repeatedly and profusely thanked me for giving up a prestigious career in Hong Kong to start at the bottom in Canada?”

In the years following the death of her eldest son, Siew (now, a retired Citizenship Judge and Hon. Lt-Col.) has dedicated her time to discovering more about her son’s life as a soldier.

This is his story—through the eyes of his loving mother.

Born in Hong Kong in 1963, Cletus Cheng and his family immigrated to Canada when he was 12 years old. As the eldest of three children and many younger cousins, leadership and empathy came to him naturally at an early age. He treated everyone he met with fairness and respect— character traits that would prove useful throughout his future endeavours.

“The Chinese had this mentality, they want their children to be doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers ... soldiering is at the bottom of the list.”

Having excelled as a member of the Air Cadets as a young boy, Cheng found himself drawn to the idea of serving his new country and decided to join the military—an uncommon career path for a member of a traditional Chinese family. “The Chinese had this mentality, they want their children to be doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers … soldiering is at the bottom of the list.” But Siew wasn’t going to stand in the way of her son and his love for Canada. “If the young man wants to join and serve our country, I said: Well, there is no reason to stop him … They learn discipline, specific techniques, teamwork and all those good things that aren’t really taught in university.”

In 1983, he applied to the Regular Officer’s Training Program (ROTP) and completed his studies at the University of Windsor, Ontario where he spent the next few years earning a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Upon graduating, Cheng joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, and went on to receive his Air Navigator’s ''wings.''

“He came back from Rwanda and all he said was ‘the poor children’. He really had a heart of gold…”

He served in peacekeeping missions in Rwanda and Bosnia.  These conflicts were horrific. It was evident that what he experienced had changed him. “He didn’t talk about his deployments much, he came back from Rwanda and all he said was ‘the poor children’. He really had a heart of gold. And when he saw the children suffering, he probably felt that he could not help them.”

When he returned from his mission in Bosnia with the UN Protection Force in 1995, he called his mother to share some news. 

For the third year in a row, Cheng was chosen to participate in the Peacekeeper Challenge—a multinational skill-at-arms competition for military police forces—held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On 18 September 1995, Cheng was the captain of the Canadian Armed Forces team participating in the combat obstacle course. Feeling a little under the weather and unwilling to let his teammates down, he said, “No matter what happens, pull me through the finish line.”

Towards the end of the race, Cheng began to experience signs of stress. After crossing the finish line with the help of his teammates, he collapsed and was rushed by ambulance to the base hospital. Sadly, he died enroute.

One of his teammates remarked: “His untimely death greatly impacted the team but we knew we had to complete the mission both for Cletus and as warriors.”

Despite the option to withdraw from the competition, the team took inspiration from the leadership and professionalism which Cletus had displayed throughout his career and they endured and triumphed with tears in their heart.

“The affect of his passing went well beyond the team; unfortunately, the Military Police Branch lost a superior and remarkable officer.”

In the summer of 2021, a stretch of the Highway of Heroes was named in his honour.

His selfless display of courage, integrity, loyalty, and most of all, his sacrifice was the final mark he left for his comrades. Twenty-some years later, he is still remembered. He is one of our Canadian Veterans. Discover more stories.