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Moose Jaw is hoping to provide some light during a dark time for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.
Members of the military aerobatics team were in Halifax over the weekend for the funeral of Capt. Jennifer Casey. She was killed May 17 after ejecting from a Snowbirds plane that crashed in Kamloops, B.C., during a cross-country tour to raise spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Things here have been pretty sombre as expected. People are definitely feeling the loss. Captain Casey was a very well-loved person and the loss is felt,” said Lisa Franks, the honorary colonel at 15 Wing Moose Jaw — the Snowbirds’ home base.
As members of the team return to Moose Jaw on Monday, Franks and the City of Moose Jaw are asking residents to go outside and wave as the Hercules aircraft carrying the members flies over the city.
If people have time before the flight arrives, they’re also asked to create large chalk drawings of hearts for the Snowbirds to see.
“We just really want to showcase that we support what they do. (The Snowbirds) go around inspiring people all across Canada with the teamwork and the expertise with the show they put on and now it’s our time to give that to them and give them a show of the love that we have for what they do,” Franks said.
Franks said as the honorary colonel at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, her role is to develop a relationship between the community and military.
“A lot of people were asking, “What can we do?’ They wanted to be involved somehow. We didn’t want to intrude on the personnel’s time and the team’s time and respect their grieving process so this is one way we thought (members of the public) could show their inner thoughts,” Franks said.
Franks said paramedics and the fire department will be arranging their vehicles in a large heart shape and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will also have their flag on display in Moose Jaw.
The flight is expected to be over Moose Jaw on Monday at around 2:35 p.m. If someone outside of Moose Jaw wants to participate and show off their heart chalk drawings, they can use the hashtag #ShowYourHeart on Twitter.