Bowmanville cenotaph soon to bear the Caswell name

BOWMANVILLE -- The local cenotaph may soon bear the name of Trooper Darryl Caswell, a Bowmanville man killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan last spring.

Clarington's General Purpose and Administration committee received a report Monday recommending Bowmanville's cenotaph be cleaned up, and altered to include the word "Peacekeeper." Under that title, Trooper Caswell's name would be added.

The idea was the result of a request from Legion member John Johnson, who requested the two additions be made.

"As Trooper Darryl Caswell was on a peacekeeping mission with the Royal Canadian Dragoons when he was tragically killed, I suggest it would be fitting that his name be inserted underneath the Peacekeepers' dedication," Mr. Johnson said in his letter.

Trooper Caswell, 25, was killed June 11 in Afghanistan. Just six weeks from returning home from his six-month stint overseas, Trooper Caswell, a Bowmanville High School graduate, was killed when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by an explosive device near Kandahar City.

The matter goes to council for ratification next Monday. Once final approval is granted, plans will be made to dedicate the altered cenotaph on May 29, which marks International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

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