Hundreds of motorcycles blanketed the Trans-Canada Highway on Saturday to honour the B.C. soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
The event, called the Memorial Ride for the Fallen in Afghanistan, was organized by the 3rd Canadian Army Veteran Riding Unit. Motorcyclists rode from East Vancouver to Hope, before heading back to Chilliwack for a service at the All Sappers' Cenotaph.
Crowds gathered along the route to watch the motorcade, including the Surrey Fire Department, which gave a silent salute from an overpass on Highway One.
"This is a chance for Lower Mainland residents to show their support for the troops and to pay respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country," Shawn Evans of the 3rd CAV Ubique Unit said in a release.
Event organizers say B.C. should adopt a "Highway of Heroes" similar to the one fallen Canadian soldiers are transported along in Ontario.
Ten soldiers from B.C. have been killed since Canada entered Afghanistan in 2001, including Master Cpl. Colin Bason, a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment.
His mother Ann was one of the many Silver Cross mothers who attended Saturday's event. She said she was touched to see such a large tribute to Canada's troops.
"The support is wonderful," she said. "Brought tears to my eyes."
Bason was killed with five other soldiers on July 4, 2007, when their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Kandahar city.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy
