On November 11, the 12 members selected for the Program will, depending on their role, stand vigil or be in attendance at the National War Memorial during the Remembrance Day ceremony – Supplied Photo

The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, has announced the names of 11 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and one Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer selected for the Remembrance Day Sentry Program. Among them is an officer cadet, chosen to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Military College of Canada.

The following personnel have the honour of playing an important ceremonial role at this year’s national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa:

Canadian Army – Sentry Commander: Officer Cadet Quinn MacDonald, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ont.;
Royal Canadian Navy Sentry: Sailor 1st Class Brayden Zunti, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Vancouver, Esquimalt, B.C.;
Royal Canadian Air Force Sentry: Master Corporal Bénédicte Moke, Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations, Cornwall, Ont.;
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Sentry: Master Warrant Officer Sébastien Courville, SMV, CD, Canadian Special Operations Regiment, Petawawa, Ont.;
Canadian Joint Forces Command – Nursing Officer: Captain Valérie Coulombe, High Readiness Detachment, 1 Canadian Field Hospital, Ottawa;
Canadian Ranger Sentry: Ranger Darrell Johnson, CD, 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, Carcross, Y.T.;
Indigenous Council – Eagle Staff Bearer: Corporal Angèle Leblanc, Royal Canadian Dragoons, Petawawa;
Indigenous Council – Eagle Staff Bearer Assistant: Warrant Officer Sylvain Leblanc, CD, 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Petawawa;
Directorate of History and Heritage, Musician – Bugler: Sailor 1st Class Renjie Zhao, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Donnacona, Montreal, Que.;
Directorate of History and Heritage, Musician – Piper: Master Corporal Alastair Sanderson, CD, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), Hamilton, Ont.;
Special Guest to the Chief of the Defence Staff and Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer: Master Corporal Rhéa Kirkup, CD, Cold Lake Transition Centre, Cold Lake, Alta.; and
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sentry: Staff Sergeant Chris Smigelsky, Applied Police Sciences, Depot Division, Regina, Sask.

Representative of the duty, commitment, and diversity of Canada’s military and security personnel, these exceptional program participants have been honoured with this distinction based on specific criteria. These include their deployment experience, community involvement, physical fitness, and record of conduct. The sentries and program participants also reflect the diversity and inclusion found in today’s CAF.

Until Remembrance Day, they will spend hours each day drilling in preparation for the ceremony. There’s also a full schedule of events across the National Capital Region to take in, such as visits to Parliament Hill, the RCMP Musical Ride Stables, and National Defence Headquarters. The tours offer a brief respite from preparing for the solemn ceremony to come. On November 11, the 12 members selected for the Program will, depending on their role, stand vigil or be in attendance at the National War Memorial during the Remembrance Day ceremony.

Created in 1998, the Remembrance Day Sentry Program publicly recognizes outstanding CAF members from both the Regular and the Reserve Force, as well as the RCMP, for their dedication, professionalism, and performance in service to Canada.