City of Windsor, Ontario nominates Matthew Charbonneau to carry the Olympic Torch Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay The City of Windsor proudly places in nomination the name of 15 year-old Matthew Charbonneau. Matthew will carry the torch in memory of his brother, Cpl. Andrew Paul Grenon who died on active service near the village of Pashmul in Zharey District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on 3 September 2008. Andrew belonged to the Second Battalion Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group serving in Afghanistan. Corporal Grenon and two other soldiers were killed during a firefight with insurgents when their vehicle was struck by an anti-armour weapon. This was Cpl. Grenon s second tour of duty in Afghanistan. Cpl. Grenon s life and legacy truly embodies the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay vision: a unifying journey that lights the land, generates pride in our nation and celebrates the possible. Cpl. Grenon is a symbol of excellence, inspiration, accomplishment and peace. Andrew demonstrated his leadership qualities as a student in high school, advocating for peace and respect for diversity. He is described by his peers as having a Warrior s heart, a brave soldier who absolutely believed in the Afghanistan mission, and who died doing what he loved helping people. Corporal Grenon was a proud and dedicated soldier who was highly respected by his commanders and the soldiers he served with. He received the Canadian Expeditionary Force Commander s Commendation in Afghanistan. Andrew s quiet effort to care for his fellow human beings - demonstrated by his devotion and actions - speaks volumes and serves to remind people how he made life better for others. As a compassionate advocate for peace, Andrew was not afraid to defend the rights of those who could not defend themselves. People who have borne witness to the abuse of the world s most vulnerable, the abuse of the most poor, and theft from the most deprived, and said that s not right. Andrew stood up for them. He chose to stay. He chose to help women without rights, to help children who had lost their parents and the elderly, the sick, the disabled, those who needed protection. He chose to stay. He chose to give. He chose to serve not only Canada, but to serve mankind. To make the world a better place, abroad and here at home. In selecting Matthew Charbonneau as the torchbearer, Andrew s legacy lives on. A loving brother will not be in the shadow of a hero, Matthew will be front and centre, able to share the Windsor story and pay tribute to Andrew s contributions that of courage, dedication and honour in service of his community and country. This is the Windsor way. Throughout our proud history, the City of Windsor has witnessed hundreds of occasions upon which love of country and pride in duty have been demonstrated in the most moving and respectful of ways; but surely, seldom has there been a more heartfelt display of respect and affection than that accorded to Cpl. Andrew Grenon on the day of his funeral, Friday, September 12, 2008. Thousands watched and stood in silent pride as we said farewell to Andrew. 1
We can think of no one better that exemplifies the values, compassion and love of community and country than the late Cpl. Andrew Grenon and it is for these reasons and so many more that we nominate Andrew s brother, Matthew Charbonneau, to carry the Olympic Torch Relay on behalf of the City of Windsor and in Cpl. Grenon s memory. 2
CORPORAL ANDREW GRENON Born in Windsor on January 19, 1985 Son of Teresa Charbonneau and Stepfather Matthew, Paul Grenon and Stepmother Cecile Brother of Matthew Charbonneau, age 15 Graduated from St. Joseph s High School in 2002 Joined the Canadian Forces in 2004. Served with the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry based at CFB Shilo in Manitoba Killed at the age of 23 in service to his country in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on September 3, 2008. Andrew was two weeks away from concluding his second Afghan tour. Full Military Funeral held in Windsor on September 12, 2008 at Our Lady of the Atonement Church in Forest Glade His death came 10 days after he was awarded a Canadian Expeditionary Forces Commander s Commendation for outstanding duty in an incident in which he saved the lives of two others and prevented the outbreak of a riot Andrew saw some of the fiercest fighting during Operation Medusa at the start of his first tour in 2006-07 and was injured twice, however, he enthusiastically volunteered for his second tour Described by his peers as having a Warrior s heart, a brave soldier who absolutely believed in the Afghanistan mission, and who died doing what he loved helping the people of Afghanistan. Corporal Grenon was a proud and dedicated soldier who was highly respected by his commanders and the soldiers he served with TORCH RELAY The Torch Relay is the Olympic symbol of peace, brotherhood and enlightenment and represents a summons to the Olympic Games. The modern day Torch Relay first begun in 1936 is derived from ceremonies once part of the ancient Games of Olympia, declaring a sacred truce for the duration of the Games. These events carried a deep ritual significance a significance that is still respected in the modern-day Olympic Torch Relay. Each relay reflects the culture of its host country The Olympic Flame will travel 45,000 kilometres across Canada, passing through every province and territory. Twelve thousand Canadians will have the privilege of carrying the Olympic Flame over the course of 100 days Each of the 43 Celebration Communities will select one Official Torchbearer. Windsor s Official Torchbearer will carry the torch for the last 300 meters of the relay running into the Festival Plaza and will run on stage to light the Olympic Cauldron 3
WINDSOR S OFFICIAL TORCH BEARER The City of Windsor nominated 15 year-old Matthew Charbonneau to proudly carry the torch in memory of his brother, Corporal Andrew Grenon. Corporal Grenon s life and legacy truly embodies the values expressed by the Olympic Torch Relay those of peace, brotherhood and enlightenment and the 2010 vision a unifying journey that lights the land, generates pride in our nation and celebrates the possible Andrew is a symbol of excellence, inspiration, accomplishment and peace. He demonstrated is leadership qualities as a student at St. Joseph High School, advocating for peace and respect for diversity Described by his peers as having a Warrior s heart, a brave soldier who absolutely believed in the Afghanistan mission, and who died doing what he loved helping the people of Afghanistan. Corporal Grenon was a proud and dedicated soldier who was highly respected by his commanders and the soldiers he served with Andrew s quiet efforts to care for his fellow human being speaks volumes and serves to remind people how he made life better for others. He was a compassionate advocate for peace, not afraid to defend the rights of those who could not defend themselves. He voluntarily chose to return for a second tour in Afghanistan to serve his country and to help make the world a better place abroad and here at home. Throughout our proud history, the City of Windsor has witnessed hundreds of occasions upon which love of country and pride in duty have been demonstrated in the most moving and respectful ways; but surely, seldom has there been a more heartfelt display of respect and affection that that accorded to Corporal Grenon on the day of his funeral when thousands watched in silent pride as we said farewell to Andrew Through Matthew, Andrew s legacy lives on in the Olympic Spirit. However, Matthew, a loving brother will not be in the shadow of his hero. He will be front an centre, able to share the Windsor story and pay tribute to Andrew s contributions that of courage, dedication and honour in service to his community and country We can think of no one better to exemplify the values, compassion and love of community and country that the late Cpl. Andrew Grenon and for those reasons and so many more that we nominated Andrew s brother, Matthew Charbonneau to be the Official Torchbearer on behalf of the City of Windsor and in memory of Cpl. Andrew Grenon MATTHEW IS WORTHY TO CARRY THE TORCH IN HIS OWN RIGHT Matthew attended L.A. Desmarais Catholic Elementary School where he was the recipient of four awards: Male Athlete of the Year; Coach s Award for Track and Field; The Christian Living Award; and the Danielle Greco Award (student that best exemplifies kindness to others) Matthew is in grade 10 at St. Joseph s Catholic High School He has played hockey for the past seven years two with Riverside Minor and five with Windsor Minor 4
He has played soccer for the past seven years with the Tecumseh Soccer Club He is a member of the St. Joseph s Junior Football team Matthew is an avid Windsor Spitfire fan and a very loyal Montreal Canadiens fan (following in the footsteps of his brother Andrew also was a loyal Canadiens fan) He loves history particularly Canadian history and the role Canadian Forces have played in times of war and peace He is a tireless volunteer at his Church Our Lady of the Atonement including serving as an Alter Server, helping out at events at the Atonement Family Centre, he shovels snow, sells papers for the Goodfellows and will help any individual or organization if asked 5