First Special Service Force Plaque Unveiling
Tue NOV 04.14 | 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Chinook Country Tourist Association parking lot
Corner of Scenic Dr & Mayor Magrath Dr S (2805 Scenic Drive South)
BRIEF SPEECHES | UNVEILING | REFRESHMENTS
IN ATTENDANCE [confirmed]:
John Hart, board member of the FSSF Association, son of late FSSF member Geoffrey Hart
Hank Planger, one of the few surviving members of the FSSF
Harry Long, Lethbridge resident
Glenn Miller, Lethbridge United Services Institute
Jeff Alden, General Manager and Gary McLean, Past President Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart Branch #4
Councillors Jeff Coffman, Blaine Hyggen and Rob Miyahsiro Lethbridge City Council
Susan Burrows-Johnson Galt Museum & Archives (MC)
The plaque will commemorate the First Special Service Force (FSSF), an elite World War II combat unit also known as The Devil’s Brigade, which contained both a Canadian (1st Canadian Special Service Battalion) and American contingent, and trained at Fort Harrison near Helena, Montana.
“Mr. Harry Long, a local community member, thought that there should be more information on the Force, and many people agreed,” explains Susan Burrows-Johnson, CEO/Executive Director at the Galt Museum & Archives. “Citizens, the City of Lethbridge, County of Lethbridge, Lethbridge United Services Institute, the Royal Canadian Legion, Alberta Transport and the Galt have completed an informational project that includes a pamphlet, highway signs, and this plaque.”
The section of Highway 4 and Interstate 15 from Lethbridge to Helena was named the First Special Service Force Highway on September 18, 1999. Highway 4 from Lethbridge to Coutts honours the achievements and sacrifices of the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion while fighting with the FSSF.