Silver Cross Mother: ‘I miss him every day’

Silver Cross Mother Beverley Skaalrud says she comes from a very strong military family.

Her four brothers, her ex-husband, Daniel Woodfield, and her son, Braun Woodfield, all served.

Pte. Woodfield died at the age of 24 in Afghanistan, on Nov. 24, 2005 in a vehicle rollover just outside of Kandahar.

Woodfield was in the gunner position of an eight-wheeled Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV). At that time, people drove at night without headlights to avoid detection, Skaalrud said.

“The driver pulled out to pass a slow moving vehicle, and then just as he passed this vehicle, a vehicle was coming head-on, flashed their lights, and [the LAV driver] pulled over and caught the shoulder. And the [LAV] rolled many times, and it threw my son. And he died from the injuries.”

She said that she really didn’t want him to join, but he wanted to. He loved doing what he was doing, and wanted to stay in Afghanistan even longer than he was supposed to, but wasn’t chosen to have a longer tour. He was scheduled to come home on Dec. 10 of that year.

“He just loved being a soldier. Which gave me some solace. He was doing what he loved to do.”

“But, I miss him every day,” she said.

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Remembrance Day has been important for her throughout her life.

“It’s almost a holy day for me — to reflect on the sacrifices of all those men and women that fought in wars. The hardships they had, the difficulties they had,” Skaalrud said.

For many veterans and their families, those difficulties only continue when the soldiers return home.

Her ex-husband, Daniel, Woodfield’s father, had a career in the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1990, he was on a ship that went to Kuwait. Daniel, a lieutenant-commander, struggled with his return to civilian life.

When he returned home, she knew instantly that something was wrong, that he had changed. Knowing what she knows now about Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), she says her ex-husband had it when he came home, but was undiagnosed at the time.

“He was just depressed, easily frustrated, angry… He just wasn’t happy with his life.”

Skaalrud said she “can only empathize” with the hardships that veterans face.

“You know, when they came home, the struggles they had after living through those times.”

The Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign is ongoing until Remembrance Day on Nov. 11. The campaign raises money to support veterans and their families in numerous ways.

Skaalrud is the chair of the Poppy Campaign in Fernie.

“If anybody’s out there that knows a veteran that needs some help, please let them get ahold of us at the Legion.”

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