Light armoured vehicle monument delivered to Oromocto

The first of up to 250 light armoured vehicle monuments was delivered to its new home in Oromocto Friday.

It's an LAV that was decommissioned after the Afghanistan war, and is now located next to the Oromocto Cenotaph.

The LAV III Monument Program will place up to 250 decommissioned vehicles in communities across Canada.

The monuments themselves are non-operational. All equipment has been stripped out of the LAV's, and only the shells remain.

Even though this LAV's final tour of duty will be served in Oromocto, Progressive Conservative MLA Brian MacDonald, who headed the campaign to get the vehicle, said it belongs to the region.

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"Military families live throughout the area in Fredericton. So of course the base is here in Oromocto, but people live all around the communities," said MacDonald. "This is a real symbol of that connection."

Many CFB Gagetown members served in the Afghan War, and Oromocto Mayor Robert Powell said opinions on the LAV monument vary.

"There's two different twists to it. Some people enjoy it, but others [see it as] a reminder and they rather not be reminded every day. But most of them I know, surely that they believe it's a good thing," said Powell.

Warrant Officer Yves Allaire worked on upgrading the vehicles in 2004, and still remembers the first time he saw one.

"I was sent on a gunners course," he remembered. "It was really impressive compared to the vehicle we had in the past."

Since Oromocto was chosen to receive the first LAV monument they did not have to pay for the vehicle. The campaign is however responsible for costs relating to installation and transportation.

The cost for everyone else will be $15,000 for the monument, plus $10,000 for the installation. Regardless of how many are eventually installed, there can only be one first.

"It's really an honour for us to get the first one. Because that vehicle will be used as a monument [in] a couple places around Canada. But Fredericton really was first," said Allaire.

There's still more work to be done to the monument before it's finally ready. The vehicle has to be bolted down, and the doors have to be sealed shut.

The official ceremony celebrating the LAV's arrival is scheduled for June 22.