15 years after London soldier's death in Afghanistan, his family reflects on his legacy

15 years after the death of London's Trooper Mark Wilson in Afghanistan, not a day goes by that he isn't in his family's memories. 

"He was handpicked because of his personality and his maturity, they loved him and they knew he was all-in and good at his job," his younger brother, Sean Wilson told CBC News. Mark Wilson served with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He died Oct. 7, 2006. 

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed Mark, who was a family man with a successful bed-and-breakfast business in Killarney, Ont,. that he and his wife, Dawn, owned. 

He wanted to help the people of Afghanistan and do his part in keeping the peace. In 2002, as soon as the Canadian government announced that they'll be sending troops to Afghanistan, Mark enlisted in the army, leaving his family and job behind.

"Mark joined with one mission in mind, to go to Afghanistan," said Wilson. "He wanted to train, to learn, and he wanted to serve his country in a mission he believed in."

Although he was much older than most soldiers enlisting at the time, the 35 year-old didn't let his age stop him. Despite being told he might not make the cut to be deployed, Mark came in first place during basic training. He was given the nickname of 'Old Man Trooper Wilson' by his platoon mates, his family recalled.  

At the age of 39, in August 2006, Mark Wilson landed in Afghanistan. 

'Mission Complete'

Just two months later, he was killed in an RG-31 in action in the Zhari district, in the province of Kandahar. It was on Thanksgiving weekend when his family found out about Mark's death. 

A few years later, in 2010, Sean Wilson decided to go to Afghanistan for a few months to find closure and honour his brother. He worked in Afghanistan with help from the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency (CFPSA) at a warehouse which provided clothes and items for soldiers, Wilson said. 

He got the chance to visit the location where his brother was killed. "I was five kilometres away from the road [where Mark was killed] and I saw the bend where the bomb went off, it was an emotional moment," said Wilson. "When I came back from my trip that day, I said 'mission complete!' I went as far as I could to honour my brother."  

'It was not in vain'

After the US and Canada withdrew the last of their troops from Afghanistan in August of this year, the governments faced criticism as the Taliban quickly took over the country and many wondered if the time, money and lives lost were worth the fight.

"Our soldiers did a great job and they should be proud of what they did," Sean Wilson said. 

"It was not in vain, we made a difference, we gave them [Afghan people] 20 years to learn, grow and educate themselves. This is why today, you see women on the streets of Kabul protesting in the faces of the Taliban, this didn't happen before 2001, we are seeing educated people saying 'No.'" 

Keeping memories alive

While the past fifteen years have been difficult for the Wilson family, they have pride knowing their son died a hero. Mark's mother Carolyn has been a Silver Cross Mother in London — an honour given to mothers of fallen soldiers, who lay a wreath on Remembrance Day each year. 

"What we've done in these last 15 years is just speaking their names, keeping the remembrance going, the act of remembrance is the most important thing to our families," Wilson said. 

The City of London has named Trooper Mark Wilson Park in his honour. The Remembrance Gardens Park is also dedicated to Wilson. 

"Mark died, he's in a better place and I hope to meet him someday, but we can't help him, but I can speak for our soldiers and families who are suffering with trauma and will be for the rest of their lives because of their time in Afghanistan," his brother said. . 

Wilson said his brother's death is something that changed his life. He feels that he wouldn't be doing the work he is today, if that didn't happen. After Mark's death, Wilson made it his goal to educate himself about Afghanistan and to connect with as many soldiers and their families as he can.