In honour of Veterans’ Week (Tuesday, November 5 to Monday, November 11), Councillor Steve Desroches, representing Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, hosted a commemorative street naming ceremony at City Hall this morning.
During the ceremony, Councillor Desroches announced that the late Lieutenant-Colonel Jessie Chenevert is the veteran honoured through the City’s Commemorative Street Naming for Veterans Program for 2024.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jessie Chenevert (nee Urquhart) was born on February 1, 1922. She trained as a hospital nurse in Brockville, Ontario, and went on to work in Kapuskasing in Northern Ontario. When the Korean War broke out, she made the brave choice to enlist in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps as a nursing sister, partly because she was worried about her brother Bob, who was also serving in Korea.
Upon landing in Japan in May 1953, Nursing Sister Chenevert became one of only 60 Canadian nurses to serve in the Korean War. She served between two sites: the 400-bed British hospital in Kure, Japan; and the 120-bed No. 25 Canadian Field Dressing Station, located about 25 kilometres from the front lines near Tokchong, Korea. The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps faced the daunting challenge of treating battle-inflicted injuries and infectious diseases. Then, when the ceasefire came into effect, Canadian nursing sisters worked with the newly released prisoners of war, helping to restore their physical health before repatriating them back to their home countries.
After the war, Jessie continued to serve in the military. She served in Germany, Ottawa and Churchill, Manitoba. Over the course of her 25 years of service, she rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and retired as Director of Nursing at the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa.
She was awarded the Korea Medal and United Nations Service Medal for her service during the Korean War. She was also awarded the Canadian Forces’ Decoration in 1964 and the 1st Clasp in 1973 for her service in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Jessie Chenevert passed away on November 28, 2023.
The street blade for “cours Jessie Chenevert Walk” will be located in Urbandale Corporation’s new development in Riverside South, and will bear the Poppy symbol, the ultimate sign of remembrance. This was made possible through the City’s Commemorative Street Naming for Veterans Program, a partnership with the City, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion.
Quotes
“Canada is the country it is today because of brave individuals like Jessie Chenevert. Jessie served our country at home and abroad for over 25 years, and I am honoured to recognize her legacy with our community today.”
Councillor Steve Desroches
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