Veteran who lost daughter in military training exercise named Silver Cross Mother

A veteran whose daughter died during a military training exercise in 2002 has been named the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother.

The Royal Canadian Legion says Virginia Hicks will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Nov. 11, an annual tradition on behalf of Canadian mothers who have lost a child serving in the Canadian military.

Hicks’ daughter Mariebeth Short died on Sept. 23, 2002 during a training exercise in Petawa, Ont., when the light armoured vehicle she was training in rolled over.

The Royal Canadian Legion says Hicks’ family has a long history of military service and she served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 29 years, working in supply and logistics.

This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony comes just weeks after four Canadian soldiers were killed and dozens more were injured during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.

Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Sask., Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, B.C., were killed in a grass fire last month.

Strong, sudden winds propelled the nearby fire toward 84 members of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry who were conducting two exercises in the military base’s training area, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is leading a full investigation into the tragedy with support from the RCMP.

Hicks says she has much in common with all mothers who have lost a child serving in the military.

“We all share the same sorrow, we all share the same bravery, and same love and respect for our children as we do for any other child who has passed,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press