Kinew awards inaugural Circle of Honour awards to three Manitoba examples of bravery, dedication

A former long-haul trucker turned military pilot and flight school commander who ran the helicopter wildfire rescue in Mathias Colomb Cree Nation last summer is one of three inaugural recipients of the Circle of Honour medallion presented by Premier Wab Kinew at the Manitoba legislature Thursday.

The award recognizes Manitobans whose remarkable bravery, resilience and dedication embody the spirit of service and unity, Kinew said.

Lt.-Col. Kim Wilton led crew of eight helicopter pilot-instructors at 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School in Portage la Prairie to fly 269 northern Manitobans to safety on 24 flights over four days amid reduced visibility, shifting winds and walls of smoke from unpredictable wildfires.

“There was a lot of concern because the runway wasn’t accessible at Pukatawagan,” said Wilton, who drove trucks for Winnipeg-based TransX before joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 2001 and earning her wings.

“They were relying strictly on rotary wing assets to get people out of the community as the fire was moving in.”

The remote, fly-in First Nation, which is also known as Pukatawagan, is located about 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Wilton served two deployments in Afghanistan before returning to Portage la Prairie to train the next generation of air force pilots. She has 5,000 hours flying experience, nearly 2,000 of which have been spent instructing others. She was commended at Thursday’s award for passing on not only her skills, but a calm and steady mindset.

“As a training establishment we get our satisfaction from teaching pilots,” she said. “It’s really an amazing opportunity to be able to help Manitobans, fellow Canadians, in a time of need.

“The crews did amazing work because it was challenging conditions — incredibly smoky, a lot of air traffic there, other assets that were in the location and obviously a bit of chaos… when meeting out there and who’s in charge and figuring out those things.”

Wilton stayed in Southport running the operation with a liaison officer on the ground co-ordinating evacuation efforts with the Canadian Red Cross. It was also a learning experience for the Canadian Armed Forces, she said.

“We had a lot of meetings after the fact to talk about any lessons learned, what we did well, we could do better if we got called up again next summer because there’s always that concern of more calls — and what would set us up for better success in the future.”

Wilton accepted the Circle of Honour award on behalf of her crew, who also attended the ceremony. The medal was also presented to 103-year-old Second World War Gunner Len Van Roon, and to Sailor 1st Class Justin Woodcock, who now works as a veterans liaison for the Southern Chiefs Organization.

“I don’t think we can ever do enough to say thank you,” Kinew said at Thursday’s event, referring to Van Roon.

“Certainly my job wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t succeeded in Europe some 80 years ago, and our life would be so much different.”

On June 6, 1944, he landed on Juno Beach in the first wave of D-Day. He advanced through France, Belgium, Holland and into Germany. His courage carried him through battle to the liberation of the Netherlands — pivotal moments “where young Canadians like him helped bend history toward freedom,” David Pankratz, Manitoba’s special envoy for military affairs said at the ceremony.

Woodcock is a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, but grew up moving around Canada. He and his mother experienced a period of homelessness during his childhood, a challenge that helped shape his resilience. He later joined the military in 2009 with Lord Strathcona’s Horse as an armoured vehicle turret operator.

He served at home in 2011, when floods hit Manitoba and in 2012 when they hit Alberta. He deployed to Resolute Bay to help establish one of Canada’s northernmost outposts, and then to HMCS Regina as a combat systems engineer.

Woodcock then began volunteering at a veterans hospital, and saw friends struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. When he left the military, he earned a social work degree that he now uses to support fellow veterans with the SCO.

The premier said he was moved by the inductees and their stories.

“It was an amazing feeling to be there with somebody who stormed the beaches in Normandy and literally defeated the Nazis,” said Kinew, who took part in the 80th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies in Normandy with Pankratz.

“And then you have the folks who helped with wildfire evacuations this summer and somebody who’s given back to fellow veterans on mental health.

“It really, I hope, is just a message to young Manitobans to remember the importance of military service and the history that’s formed the world that we live in today.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca