Mrs. Claire Léger of Stittsville, Ontario, was the 2005 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2005, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On April 17, 2002, her eldest child, Sergeant Marc Daniel Léger, serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Afghanistan, died as a result of a friendly fire incident.

Mrs. Léger, née Levac, was born in Alexandria, Ontario. She married Richard Léger and together they had three children Marc Daniel, Sofie Alice and Albert Michel. One-time residents of Saint-Raphaël, Lancaster, Orleans and Peterborough, Mr. and Mrs. Léger reside in Stittsville.

Mrs. Alice Murphy of Conception Bay, Newfoundland, was the 2006 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2006, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On January 27, 2004, her youngest child, Corporal Jamie Brendan Murphy, was killed by an explosion, believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber, in the western district of Kabul, Afghanistan. He was on duty with the 3^rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group.

Mrs. Murphy, née Skeffington, was born in Amherst Cove and was a teacher in Newfoundland. Upon her marriage to Norman Murphy, she moved to Conception Harbour and became a stay-at-home mother to their four children–John, Rosemary, Norma and Jamie.

Mrs.Wilhelmina Beerenfenger-Koehler of Embrun, Ontario, was the 2007 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2007, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On October 2, 2003, her son, Corporal Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger, was killed while on patrol when his jeep ran over an explosive device, near Kabul, Afghanistan. He was serving with the 3^rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group.

Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler was born in Leiden, Holland, and immigrated to Canada as a child with her parents and three brothers. She attended Champlain High School in Ottawa (West). In 2000, she was widowed when her husband, Andreas Koehler, passed away.

Mrs. Beerenfenger-Koehler is employed with Evripos which provides contractual services to the Department of National Defence at the former CFB Ottawa (Uplands).

Mrs. Avril Dianna Stachnik of Waskateneau, Alberta, was named the 2008 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2008, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On September 3, 2006, her son, Sergeant Shane Hank Stachnik, a combat military engineer, was killed in an ambush while leading his section during Operation Medusa; a ground offensive against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

Mrs. Stachnik was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and attended Jasper Place Composite High School. In 1971 she married Hank Stachnik. Together, they raised two children, Shane and Deanna.

In an interview, she relayed what an honour it was to be chosen to represent the mothers and families of fallen solider and commented on her son. "Shane was just a regular guy. He didn’t put on any false airs, but he was a good leader and a good role model; very kind and personable."

The passage of time is helping to ease the burden of their son’s death but Mrs. Stachnik says, “You never forget. You’re always thinking about him.”

Mrs. Della Marie Morley of East Saint Paul, Manitoba, was the 2009 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2009, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On September 18, 2006, her son, Corporal Keith Ian Morley, was killed by a suicide bicycle bomber while on foot patrol in Afghanistan. He was serving with A Company, 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry from Shilo, Manitoba.

Originally from Elkhorn, Mrs. Morley attended school there and in Virden before going to study at Western Christian College in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She married Russel Morley and they raised two children, Keith and Shannon Jaye. Widowed in 2003, she later remarried Fred Duna.

Mrs. Mabel Girouard, from Bathurst, New Brunswick, was the 2010 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2010, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On November 27, 2006, her son, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Michel Girouard, serving as the regimental sergeant major for the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, was killed by a suicide car bomber while on duty near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Mrs. Girouard was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, and attended Bouctouche High School. In August 1959, she married Vincent Girouard and they had three children, Pierre Joseph, Charles Vincent and Robert Michel.

Mrs. Girouard is retired from New Brunswick Telephone where she was employed as a telephone operator and office worker.

Mrs. Patricia Braun of Raymore, Saskatchewan was the 2011 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2011, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On August 22, 2006, her son, Corporal David Braun, a member of the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry based out of Shilo, Manitoba, was killed by a suicide bomber while on patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Mrs. Braun, originally of Semans, is a graduate of Margaret McClumb School and the University of Saskatchewan. She and her husband, Blaine, raised four children—David, Diana, Christopher and Michael. In 1994, she was widowed.

Mrs. Braun is employed by the Horizon School Division.

Mrs. Roxanne Priede of Grand Forks, British Columbia, was the 2012 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2012, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On May 30, 2007, her eldest child, Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, was killed in a helicopter crash while serving with the Land Force Atlantic Area Headquarters.

Mrs. Priede, née Chartrand, attended Briarwood Vocational High School. While there, she met John Priede and the two were married on October 16, 1976. In 1979, the Priedes moved to Greenwood, British Columbia, where she chose a career as a stay-at-home mom for almost 15 years to raise their three children–Darrell, Denise and David–before accepting employment as a custodial contractor.

Mrs. and Mr. Priede enjoy outdoor activities, including going for long walks and camping. They also cherish spending time with their three grandchildren and other family members.

Mrs. Niki Psiharis, of Laval, was the 2013 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and the sixth mother from Québec to be named by the Royal Canadian Legion. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2013, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 20, 2007, her youngest son, Sergeant Chris Karigiannis, was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle approximately 40 kilometers west of Kandahar City, Afghanistan—less than two months before his scheduled return home.

Despite her terrible loss, Mrs. Psiharis has maintained a positive outlook and has been an exemplary citizen, committed to engaging youth in remembrance. Since 2009, Mrs. Psiharis has accompanied students, from her son’s former high school to the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa and is the driving force behind having these same students completing more than 100,000 volunteer hours in the community.

Mrs. Psiharis was born in a village of less than 200 people outside of Kalamata, Greece, and married Anastasios Karigiannis when she was 18. They immigrated to Montréal, Québec, in 1968 and had three sons–Peter, Spiro and Chris. In 1990, she was widowed when her husband succumbed to cancer, leaving her to raise three teenaged sons on her own.

Mrs. Psiharis worked in the textile and building maintenance industries, retiring in 2001.

Mrs. Gisèle Michaud, of Edmundston, New Brunswick, was the 2014 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and the fifth mother from New Brunswick to be named by the Royal Canadian Legion. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2014, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 23, 2009, her youngest son, Master Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, was mortally wounded after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Panjwayi District, southwest of Kandahar City, Afghanistan. He was transported to a Québec City hospital on June 28, 2009 and passed away on July 4 of that same year. Master Corporal Charles-Philippe has an older brother, Denis.

Mrs. Michaud was born and raised in Edmundston, New Brunswick. In 1971, she married Conrad Michaud. She worked in retail, but is now retired.

She has undertaken a number of activities to honour her son’s memory. She has hosted large delegations of soldiers from Master Corporal Michaud’s battalion in Edmundston on each anniversary of her son’s passing and on Remembrance Day. Mrs. Michaud, accompanied by her husband and her eldest son, travelled to Kandahar in November 2010.