Balkans 35th Commemoration – RMR Veterans Invited to Take Part
Westmount, Quebec – 03 October 2025: As Canada prepares to mark the 35th anniversary of the first peacekeeping deployments to the Balkans, a nationwide effort is underway to reconnect, recognize, and record the stories of the 40,000 Canadians who served in the region between 1992 and 2004.
Among the Canadians who served in the Balkans were dozens of soldiers from The Royal Montreal Regiment (RMR), who made extraordinary contributions during some of the most dangerous peacekeeping missions in modern Canadian history.
In November 1992, the first 23 RMR members deployed to the Balkans — sixteen to Bosnia with Operation Cavalier and seven to Croatia with Operation Harmony. By the following year, a full platoon of RMR soldiers and officers were serving under the United Nations flag.
Their courage under fire was soon tested. Master-Corporal Jordie Yeo and Corporal Jeff Melchers became the Regiment’s first combat casualties since the Second World War when they were wounded in a grenade attack in April 1993. Corporal David Fairchild and Corporal Kenneth Marr were both decorated for heroism — Fairchild for evacuating wounded civilians under fire, and Marr for his selfless protection and care of refugees. Major Reza Mehran, the RMR’s medical officer, gained renown for saving a life during emergency open-heart surgery in a tent hospital.
To honour the service and sacrifices of all who served in the Balkans, a veteran-led initiative is planning nationwide commemorative events in 2026–2027, along with a Return to the Balkans Tour in 2027. The project also aims to interview over 1,500 veterans for an audio/video history collection and develop museum exhibits and documentaries to preserve this vital chapter of Canada’s peacekeeping history.
Balkan veterans from the RMR and across Canada are encouraged to get involved by visiting www.balkans35.ca.
Let’s ensure the service of our RMR members in Bosnia and Croatia — and their role in bringing hope to a war-torn region — is remembered and recorded for generations to come.
