A tribute for Captain Jennifer Casey and the CF Snowbirds is being broadcast Thursday morning over a live stream.
35-year-old Casey, a member of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, died following the crash of a Snowbirds Tutor jet in a residential area of Kamloops, B.C. The Snowbirds were touring across Canada as part of Operation Inspiration, a tour meant to show togetherness and support the front lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ceremony is being hosted by the Kamloops Legion and will take place at 11 am PT. The live stream will be available on the Kamloops Legion’s Facebook page.
Several invited presenters and speakers will participate in the event, however, the event will not exceed a gathering size of 50 people and, according to organizers, proper physical distancing will be maintained.
The legion says it hopes the ceremony offers everyone a moment to pause, listen to the words of remembrance and hear the bugle and piper from the safety of their own homes or work environments.
The tribute will also be dedicated to the recovery of Capt. Richard MacDougall, the pilot of the aircraft that crash, who obtained injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
Capt. Casey previously attended Royal Roads University, located on Vancouver Island, to receive her master’s of interdisciplinary studies.
In a statement read Wednesday by honorary Lt.-Col. Corrine MacLellan, Casey’s family said the Snowbirds’ cross-country morale tour aimed to reassure Canadians in a time of uncertainty, and there was “no better person to carry out that mission than Jenn.”
“Her beautiful smile and positively infectious personality could brighten anyone’s day,” the family’s statement said. “She proudly served the mission as she flew across our great nation with a team that she adored.”
Her family said the former journalist was more than a granddaughter, daughter, sister and friend to many.
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