Manitoba woman whose son died in Bosnia named National Silver Cross Mother

ChristopherHolopinawas six days away from the end of his peacekeeping deployment in Bosniawhen the armoured vehicle he was in rolled in a ravine.

"He was the only one [killed]," his mom, Gloria Hooper, said this week from her home in the small French village of St. Claude, Man., about 90 kilometres west of Winnipeg andjust south of Portage la Prairie.

"We could hardly wait for him to come home, andI thought after, yeah, he came home, but not the way he wantedor that we wanted."

The crash that killed the 22-year-old happenedJuly 4, 1996, but for Hooper, it might as well have been yesterday.

Many memories of the boy she said was a mischievousclown cause her to start laughing.

But the pain of losing him is present as ever.

"Oh yeah, I think of him every day like, every single day," she said. "I can't believe it's been that long ago."

On Nov. 11, Hooper will lay a wreath at the cenotaph duringthe national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa, representing all families who have lost a child who was serving for Canada.

She has been named this year's NationalSilver Cross Mother, an annual honour bestowedby the Royal Canadian Legiondating backto 1919.

When called upon to place the wreath, Hooper said her mind will be comforted by thoughts ofHolopinaand "what would he be doing now?"

The idea, she said, makes her smile.

That's because she knows nothing would likely be any different. So how can there be any regrets?

Despite the hurt she has learned to tolerate, Hooper has also realized Holopinawas doing what he loved.

"He always said, 'If I die, I want to be in a soldier's [uniform].' And he was," she said."If he could do anything again, he would have been there."

Holopinawas a true soldier,having embodied that persona from a very young age, his family said.As achild,hemade toy swords and would sit for hours playingwith toy soldiers.

His younger sister, Ashley, remembers him declaring,"I want to join the army when I'm older."

Even when Holopina's interests shifted toart, he never strayedfrom his heart's inclination.He drew for hours, creating images of of knights and dragons,Ashley said.

He followed his chosen path as soon as he was able, joining the reserves at 16in Portage la Prairie.After graduating from high school, Holopinaenlisted as a member of a combat engineer regiment in Petawawa, Ont.

"As a teen, he'd always work out in the garage, evenings andweekends. He also started running and doing ruck marches around home, especially when he was transitioning from reserves to the regular force," Ashley said.

Holopina servedtwo previous tours of duty abroad in Cyprus in 1992-93and in Croatia in 1993-94.

He was part ofa United Nations peacekeeping mission,Operation Alliance, in Bosnia-Herzegovina in July 1996 when his troop was rushing to help a group of British soldiers trapped in a minefield. The Canadian vehicle left the road to avoid an accidentbut careened down a ravine and rolled.

Holopinawas the first Canadian to give his life in Bosnia as part of that mission, the Royal Canadian Legion said.

Hooper went to the site in Bosnia not long after the crash to better understand where her son died.

"I wondered what it was like," she said, but admits she was in shock and "like a zombie." She wentback again,this time with aclear head and to see the memorial erected in her son's honour.

During his time in Bosnia,Holopinaorganized a toy and clothing drive forchildren. His family collected, packedand shippeddonations toHolopina, who handed them out.

"He worked with the kids over there to get them playing and stuff," Hooper said.

His heart was big, to match his stature. At six-foot-fourwhich required his uniforms to be custom-made Holopina had long arms that enclosedhis mom and sister in hugs.

"Oh, what a kid," Hoopersaid, almost drifting into a daydream.

The Portage la Prairie Armoury lounge wasrenamed the Holopina Loungeand a wall was dedicated to him, while the province nameda lake after him in 2005.

Holopina now rests at the St. John cemetery inShell Valley, north ofRussell, Man., where he was born.

Hooper goes as often as possibleto sit and update herson on the latest news from home.

"He's learning things about us and stuff like that. I do it all the time," she said.