Article by CWO F.R. Wightman, with Maj. K. Stevens, CWO M.G.M. Rousseau, MWO L.M. Neault and PO2 D.L. Bothe
WO Patrice Vincent was killed in a terror-related attack in Saint-Jean-sur Richelieu, Quebec on Monday, 20 Oct 2014. WO Vincent joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Combat Engineer in 1985 and accepted an occupational transfer to Fire Fighter in 1990. At the time of the attack, he was serving as a member of the Integrated Support Centre, Joint Personnel Support Unit, Task Force East, Montreal. WO Vincent “was proud to be a fire fighter who took pride in knowing his job was that of protecting others”.
With Canadian troops deployed to Iraq and Kuwait as part of a coalition combat mission in the fight against ISIS, CWO Martin Rousseau (CMP CWO) recommended to the CoC that one of their two operating bases should be named in honour of WO Vincent – and on Nov 9, 2014, it was.
During Op Impact Roto 0, at the Air Task Force Iraq camp in Kuwait, Sailor 1st Class D.L. Bothe (PO2) designed, and with the help of MCpl M.P. Gillam (WO) painted (in very short order due to the upcoming Nov 11th Remembrance Day ceremony just two days away) the Camp Patrice Vincent sign in his memory, on a large cement T-Wall. With the Canadian flag as symbolism, the camp sign has three distinct characteristics. The left side with red background is a memorial to WO Vincent. The Center with a white background, identifies Op Impact and Air Task Force Iraq. The left, again with a red background, identifies the month and year of the attack that killed WO Vincent.
The Camp Vincent sign was recreated, by the same artists, on a smaller steel plate and hung in Canada House, eventually finding its way to a wall in the Ahmad Al-Jaber AF Base Head Quarters section. The original intent for this duplicate sign was that it would eventually find its way to a permanent home in the National war museum.
During his tour in early 2016, the Task Force Fire Marshall (TFFM) Sgt Joe Notargiovanni (MWO ret) was informed that the sign was to be sent to another camp with no explanation as to who’s care it would be going to. Sgt Notargiovanni was concerned that it would then end up forgotten and eventually disappear for lack of vested interest in the memorial status and longevity of the sign, if he were to let it go. Not knowing the original intent of the steel sign, the TFFM “borrowed” sign from the HQ’s wall one night, and just as quickly, “lost” it. Mysteriously, very shortly after being lost in Kuwait, the sign found its way via CMTT on route back to Canada and was delivered to the Canadian Forces Fire and CBRN Academy (CFFCA) for safe keeping.
In memory of WO Vincent, and to ensure he is forever remembered, the steel sign is on display in CFFCA’s fire fighter physical fitness test area. Here, every Engineer who joins the fire trade will pass through, see, and be aware of who WO Vincent was.
The second base, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command base in Iraq, named “Patrol Base Cirillo”, was named after Cpl Nathan Cirillo, who was killed in a separate attack just two days after WO Vincent.
WO Vincent’s passing and biography was previously posted on this site.
We Shall Remember Them
References:
1. WO / Adj Patrice Vincent, CD | Canadian Military Engineers (cmea-agmc.ca)
2. Nathan Cirillo And Patrice Vincent Honoured With Naming Of Military Bases | HuffPost Politics
Photo Credits:
Photo 1 - Michael Armstrong, HuffPost, 11 Nov 2014
Photo 2 - unknown, believed to be 11 Nov 2015
Photo 3 - CWO Roland Wightman, CFFCA UCWO