An Alberta military base was the site this week used to help pay tribute to a modern moment in Canadian history. A film crew for Historica Canada used the backdrop of CFB Wainwright to stand in for Afghanistan to tell the story of Capt. Jonathan Snyder, a Canadian soldier remembered for his leadership and dedication in the military and for his heroism and courage during a 2008 attack while on patrol in Kandahar. Historica Canada is using the footage to help create their latest Heritage Minute, a series of one-minute short stories shared on television, among trailers shown prior to movies in theatres, and online on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. Marshall Williams, an actor from Winnipeg who plays Snyder in the short film, says playing the hero is memorable for him as he remembers growing up watching Heritage Minutes. “I’m trying to do the best job that I can and give an honest portrayal of who John was,” said Williams, adding he finds “doing something Canadian refreshing” from the usual American-centred productions. “There’s a lot of pressure that goes in with that, trying to make that just and honest.” Anthony Wilson-Smith, the Historica Canada president and chief executive officer who was on-site in Wainwright for the shoot, said Snyder’s story was chosen because they wanted to highlight “someone who reflected real humanity, who of course reflected this courage and the values that we’ve seen in our forces so often over the years.” “What we tell here is this story of somebody who put himself deliberately in harm’s way and then saved, through his coolness under fire, anywhere from 90 to 100 lives,” Wilson-Smith said. The Penticton, B.C.-born-and-raised Snyder died three days after his heroism in early June that year, when he fell into an unmarked irrigation well while on night patrol and drowned under the weight of his equipment. Historica Canada is a national charitable organization that promotes Canadian history and citizenship through programs such as the Heritage Minutes, the Canadian Encyclopedia, the youth-focused Encounters with Canada, and the production of educational videos and podcasts. More than 100 Heritage Minutes have been produced since 1990, including more than 60 that were produced over the decade, often running between TV shows on both the CTV and CBC networks. Among them are episodes telling the stories of Laura Secord helping British troops during the War of 1812, James A. Naismith’s late 19th century invention of basketball (featuring peach baskets and their cut-off bottoms before the use of hoops and nets), Dr. Wilder Penfeld’s neuroscientific discoveries that include finding the scent of burnt toast as an initial indication of an epileptic seizure, and Vince Coleman’s heroism sacrificing his life to save a train in the 1917 Halifax Explosion. Wilson-Smith said the story of Snyder, while an inspirational figure on his own, is meant to shine a spotlight on the 158 Canadians who died among the 40,000 deployed to serve in the Afghanistan campaign at the beginning of the 21st century. It’s also to highlight a significant modern moment that resonates with many people alive today. “We have felt for some time that service has not had the recognition that, for example, Second World War veterans have always had, even though the level of danger was every bit as high, to say the least,” Wilson-Smith said. “We’re talking about people who are very much part of the mainstream of society today. If you were 25 years old, after all, in 2006, you’re in your mid-40s now. You’ve got things going, but a lot of these people don’t talk about what they did. “These are stories that not only should be told, they need to be told.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
