Saskatchewan honours 8 'fallen heroes' with GeoMemorial Program

The province is honouring eight fallen heroes by naming geographic locations after them. 

It's part of the GeoMemorial Program, that recognizes people born or raised in Saskatchewan, or who have had impact on the province, for sacrifices that "bettered our province and nation."

Five of those honoured died during military service in Afghanistan or the Second World War. Journalist Michelle Lang was also honoured by the province, as well as a member of the RCMP, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. 

All of the province's new official place names are located in northern Saskatchewan and include:

• Anderson Lake - named after Corporal Jordan Anderson, who served in the Canadian army. He was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2007. 
• Blair Lake - named after Private Alfred Blair, who parachuted into France during the Second World War. He was killed in action in 1944.
• Goddard Lake - named after Captain Nichola Goddard, who was killed in an firefight while serving in Afghanistan in 2006. She was the first Canadian woman killed in combat.
• Greff Lake - named after Master Corporal Byron Greff. Master Corporal Greff was killed in Afghanistan in 2011 when the armoured bus he was in was rammed by a car packed with explosives.
• Lake MacKenzie - named after Captain Juli-Ann MacKenzie, who was killed when her helicopter crashed on a search and rescue mission in Labrador in 2002.
• Lang Bay - named for journalist Michelle Lang who worked in Moose Jaw and at the Regina Leader-Post. Lang was killed while covering the war in Afghanistan in 2009.
• Pineo Point - named for Constable Derek Pineo who worked for the Nipawin and Wilkie RCMP. He was killed on duty in 2012 when his vehicle hit a moose.
• Willows Lake - named after Corporal Willmit Willows, who served with the Calgary Highlanders during the Second World War. Corporal Willows was wounded by a bomb in France in 1944 and died of his injuries three days later. 

The parents of Captain Goddard expressed their happiness over the lake named for their daughter Nichola in a release on Tuesday. 

"We are delighted that the lake named after Nichola is in northeastern Saskatchewan, within the traditional territory of the Chipewyan Dene people,” parents of Captain Nichola Goddard, Tim and Sally Goddard said.  “Our family lived for three years in Black Lake, where Nichola not only attended school but also became fluent in the Dene language," the statement said, in part.

The program, which began in 1947, has named about 4,000 geographic features across Saskatchewan.