Tlicho soldier returning home

It’s a proud day for the small Northwest Territories community of Behchoko. The only person from the Tlicho Nation on active duty with the Canadian armed forces is coming home after serving time in Afghanistan.

Cpl. John Paul Rabesca Jr.'s parents were busy preparing for his homecoming this week.

"That's what they call him, Tlicho soldier. They gotta be proud when Grand Chief, he shake his hand," said his father, John Paul Rabesca.

The 23-year-old grew up in the remote community of 2,500.

After graduating high school, he began looking for a way out of the community and he found it in the military.

"He said, ‘I really want to do this to travel, see other places, meet other people. So that's what he did," said his mother Josephine Rabesca

His mother describes him as a proud Dene man.

In a community struggling to hold on to the traditions of the past, Rabesca is one of the only young people who speaks fluent Tlicho, which is more commonly known as Dogrib.

"When we came down to visit him in Edmonton we went to his room and he had this huge Tlicho flag over his bed. So I think he's proud, proud to be a Tlicho soldier," said his mother.

It’s been a tough year for the Rabescas. They haven’t seen their son in seven months. They’ve only been able to check in with their son every few weeks, never knowing exactly where he is or if he's ok.

'Every time they say there's a fallen soldier, we get really scared.' —Josephine Rabesca

"Sometime it gets scary, sometime I think about it. I don’t want to cry just to look at the news," said his father.

"Every time they say there's a fallen soldier, we get really scared," added Josephine.

The Rabescas say they sleep easier now knowing their son is on a plane coming home alive.

Cpl. Rabesca returns to Alberta today. Next week he’ll make the journey home to Behchoko.

"We just need him here. Family together," said his father.