MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM — On May 16, the Moose Jaw ANAVETS No. 252 honoured the career of born-and-raised Moose Jaw resident Warrant Officer Darren Mark Weiss, who has served his country in numerous wars overseas through an outstanding career in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The inspiration behind the commemorative presentation came after members of the Moose Jaw ANAVETS, including vice-president Albert Taylor, recognized that Weiss has never been formally acknowledged in his own hometown of Moose Jaw.
The May 16 presentation sought to rectify this by acknowledging Weiss and his ongoing dedication to his country.
Weiss was born in Moose Jaw in 1966 and made the decision to join the Canadian Armed Forces back in 1987.
His noteworthy career in the military has spanned several years overseas in locations that include Germany starting in 1988, Bosnia starting in 1992, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. He served on five UN tours and two NATO tours during this time.
During his years of service Weiss has been posted to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Moose Jaw, as well as (in no particular order) Dundurn, Wainwright, Shilo, Winnipeg, Gagetown, and Cornwallis, in addition to several overseas bases including Baden-Baden in Germany.
Weiss retired from the regular forces in 2000, and in 2020, he joined the reserves at 15 Wing Moose Jaw where he continues to serve to this day.
After a few introductory remarks by ANAVETS Vice-President Albert Taylor, the co-owner of Black Fox Distillery John Cote presented Weiss with a bottle of his finest Saskatchewan-made whisky which also ranks in the top 20 whiskies worldwide.
The SE Eleven Whisky from Black Fox Distillery is significant because it’s part of a Canada-wide campaign to help support military service members during the RCAF centennial this year.
“We were approached last year by the Royal Canadian Air Force Association to create a whisky to help celebrate their 100th anniversary,” Cote explained.
Proceeds from each bottle of Cote’s whisky helps support the Royal Canadian Air Force Association and its ongoing support for veterans and active service members.
“That money trickles back down to those people that put their life on the line every day,” Cote said.
Commemorative events such as this are typically held on Remembrance Day or other events such as the upcoming Decoration Day, but members of the local ANAVETS would like to point out that military personnel put their lives on the line each and every day for the good of all Canadians and there’s no limited occasion where their sacrifices should be acknowledged.
The ANAVETS lounge is located at 279 High Street West and for more information about the organization visit ANAVETS.ca.
