Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Plaque – This was the laser engraved granite plaque that we designed to mark the unfortunate passing of Cpl Baker. It was originally displayed at the Kandahar Cenotaph from the date of his passing - and was repatriated to Canada in 2014. Today, it can be seen at the Afghanistan War Memorial located at National Defence Headquarters in Kanata, On. Rod A. McLeod, Designer

Memorial – For Joshua's Birthday In 2010 I Honoured Him By Personalizing My License Plate - He Will Always Be Mom's Hero - Love, Mom

Photo – In Honour Of What Would Have Been Joshua's 32nd Birthday, I Was Given This Team Canada Jersey. Along With This Jersey A Friend Of Mine Contacted Bauer Canada And They Graciously Donated A Custom Pair Of Matching Hockey Gloves And Stick With Joshua's Name On Them. As His Mother I Was Very Honoured That My Friend And Bauer Canada Stepped Out Of The Box For These Unique Gifts For My Son. Love, Mom

Funeral – A Mother's Worst Nightmare - Watching My Only Child Coming Off A Military Aircraft In A Flag Draped Coffin In Trenton. I Love And Miss You, Joshua. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – Joshua Training While Out West. He Was Always Highly Commended For His Dedication And Drive To Be The Best Soldier He Could Be. I Will Always Be So Very Proud Of My Son. Love, Mom

Memorial – I Visited Peacekeepers Park In Angus, Ontario. Another Memorial With Joshua's Name On It. Love, Mom

Inscription – Another Monument That Brings Great Sorrow Because My Son Should Be Alive And Not A Name On A Wall. I Love And Miss You, Joshua. Love, Mom

Memorial – I Went To The School That Joshua Had Attended And Asked One Of The Teachers If She Could Have A Couple Of Art Classes Draw Images Representing Joshua's Life And Likes For His Birthday. Here Is A Beautiful Rendition Of Joshua From One Of The Students. A Perfect Likeness. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – This Picture Is Of Me "His Mother" And Joshua On His First Birthday. This Picture Has Shown Up Multiple Times On The Internet With Me Cropped Out Of It. I Feel It Is Only Honouring To Joshua To Set The Record Straight. I Will Not Go Into Why I Have Been Removed From The Photo But Will Say That Joshua Was My Only Child And Had No Other Siblings. There Have Been Many Twisted Stories On The Internet And In Paperwork Regarding Nonexistent Relatives. Joshua Lost All His Aunts, Uncles And Grandfather Previous To His Death Leaving Only Myself "His Mother" And His Grandmother. I Feel It Is Only Right That This Photo Is Put Up In It's Original Form. The Person Or People Who Doctored This Photo Completely Disrespected Joshua And Myself His Mother. I Am Very Proud Of This Precious Photo Of My Son And I. Love, Mom

Photo – My Beautiful Mother And My Handsome Son. I Will Always Be Grateful For All The Help Given To Me By My Mother In Raising Joshua. She Was A Incredible Example To Both Of Us. Joshua Loved And Respected His Grandmother Very Much And Always Considered Her To Be The Greatest Grandmother In The World. She Was Kind, Caring, Compassionate And Loving Towards Joshua All The Days Of His Life, Which I Will Always Be Thankful For. Joshua Was Extremely Close To His Grandmother, Which Made It All The More Devastating When He Was Killed. It Is Important To Note That Joshua Was My Mom's Only Grandchild. Love, Janet - Mom

Photo – Two Plus Years After Joshua Came Home, I Did Something Never Done Before. I Had The Military Shut Down Trenton Airport So I Could Stand On The Very Tarmac That The Aircraft Bringing Joshua's Body Home Landed. All The Planes Were Put Into A Holding Pattern While I Stood And Saluted My Son In Heaven. I Wanted To Show Joshua How Proud I Was And That His Sacrifice Was Not In Vain. I Knew My Son Would Be Beaming With Pride At The Courage I Exhibited On The Tarmac That Day. Love, Mom

Photo – No Matter What Anybody Says About Grief And About Time Healing All Wounds, The Truth Is, There Are Certain Sorrows That Never Fade Away Until The Heart Stops Beating And The Last Breath Is Taken. Love, Mom

Photo – It Was Not My Choice To Survive Without You ... So I Choose To Live And Honour You. I Am Still Standing. Love, Mom

Photo – Joshua Loved Tobogganing When He Was Young, So In His Memory I Decided To Visit One Of The Many Hills We Had Visited Together. With The Last Photo Of Us Taken In Hand, I Made A Few Runs Down The Hill. I Could Just Envision My Son Watching From Heaven And Smiling. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – One Of My Favourite Photos Of Joshua While Training Out West. Love, Mom

Memorial – Joshua's Legacy Continues - Joshua Attended Winston Churchill Collegiate High School Before Leaving For The Military. After He Was Killed I Approached The Principal With An Idea To Memorialize Joshua In The School He Attended. I Wanted It To Represent Something Joshua Enjoyed Which Was Working Out. I Thought A New Weight Room Would Be A Perfect Choice To Commemorate My Son. The Principal Agreed. I Then Asked If We Could Bring In A Professional Painter To Paint A Mural Going Into The Weight Room To Represent Joshua's Sacrifice In Afghanistan. After A Lot Of Hard Work By The Painter And Five Students From The Art Class The Mural Came To Fruition. This Photo Of Me Standing In Front Of The Mural Was Taken During The Official Dedication. I Know Joshua Would Be So Proud. Love, Mom

Memorial – This Is The Completed Mural In Full In Memory Of Joshua. Love, Mom

Photo – I Grieve For All The Tomorrows That Will Never Be. I Grieve Because The Lord Now Holds You Instead Of Me. I Love And Miss You Always, Joshua. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – Watching My Mother From Heaven.

Mother And Son

Memorial – Joshua's Legacy Begins - Joshua And I Both Attended Ellesmere-Statton Public School And Because Of That, It Held A Very Special Meaning To Me As His Mother. After Meeting With The Principle And Discussing What Could Be Done To Best Honour Joshua We Decided A Brand New Basketball Court Was The Perfect Legacy To Represent The Ultimate Sacrifice He Made For His Country. On September 12th, 2013 This Basketball Court Was Dedicated In Joshua's Honour. Love, Mom

Memorial – The Full View Of Joshua's Brand New Basketball Court Done In Honour Of Him - Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – My Little Cub - Love, Mom

Love, Mom

Memorial – Joshua's Legacy Continues - Joshua Was Born And Raised On Canish Road, So As His Mother I Thought It Would Be A Wonderful Legacy For Him To Have The Street Named In His Honour. I Did Not Want To Change The Name Of The Street For That Is What Joshua Knew It As, But Instead I Wanted To Have His Name Added Above It. After Fighting For Just Over 2 Years To Have This Done, My Mission Was Accomplished. On September 18th, 2014 I Stood At The Intersection Of Canlish And Ellendale Facing The Very Home Joshua Grew Up In As The City Dedicated The Street In Joshua's Honour. I Personally Had The Privilege Of Speaking That Day And Addressed My Son In Heaven Telling Him "This Street Is Dedicated From Your Mother, With Love". I Know In My Heart Joshua Would Be So Proud Of What I Had Done For Him And Would Be Smiling In Heaven With Such Great Pride. Love, Mom

Memorial – Dedicated In Your Honour, Joshua - Love, Mom

Memorial – Every Year For The First 5 Years After Joshua Was Killed I Honoured My Son By Orchestrating A Tribute To Keep His Memory Alive. For Those That Attended I Wanted To Display As Many Aspects Of Joshua's Life In Order For Them To Understand Who Joshua Was. As His Mother I Feel I Accomplished My Goal. Love, Mom

Memorial – These Were Joshua's Dress Boots On Display At His Tribute. Love, Mom

Memorial – Joshua Was Born And Raised A Christian. His Faith In The Lord Remained Very Strong Throughout The Course Of His Life. Those In Afghanistan Always Remember Seeing Joshua Reading His Bible At Any Given Opportunity He Had. He Was Never Ashamed Of Who He Was. Love, Mom

Flag – This Flag Was Personally Made By A Company Who Graciously Donated It To Me In Joshua's Honour. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – This Picture Was Taken Of Joshua In Afghanistan On Duty. It Was One Of His Favourites - Love, Mom

Medals – These Are Joshua's Medals And Beret. To My Horror, I Was Not Given Them When He Was Killed. In Joshua's Will It Stated Clearly That 100 Percent Of His Personal Belongings Come To Me, His Mother. I First Had To Fight To Have The Very Military He Served Recognize That His Medals And Beret Were Classified As Personal Belongings. Once That Was Established The Military Had No Choice But To Go And Get His Medals And Beret And Give Them To Me. Exactly One Year To The Date Of Joshua Being Killed I Finally Was Handed What Joshua Wanted Me To Have, That Being His Medals And Beret. It Was Quite The Fight I Had To Endure But One Well Worth It In The End. I Know Joshua Would Be So Proud That I Never Gave Up Fighting The Battle And Because Of That I Won The War. Love, Mom

Memorial – Acknowledging What Should Have Been - Joshua's 30th Birthday. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – When I Was 19 Years Of Age I Had The Greatest Gift The Lord Could Ever Have Blessed Me With, That Being My Son, Joshua Caleb Baker. I Was A Single Mother When I Gave Birth To Him And Had The Help Of My Mother (Joshua's Grandmother) In Raising Him. He Filled Our Lives With Joy And Happiness And Was The Center Of Our World For The 24 Years He Walked This Earth. I Feel It Is Only Honouring To Joshua to Clarify That Joshua Was My Only Child. He Had No Sisters Or Brothers, And Was Not An Uncle To Anyone Since He Was An Only Child. It Is Important To Me As His Mother To State The Facts Which I Am Doing And Not Print False Reports In Regard To My Son. By Stating The Truth That Is What True Honouring To Joshua Is Really About. Love, Mom

Memorial – No Mother Should Ever Have To Bury Their Child. I Love And Miss You, Joshua. Love, Mom

Photo – Christmas Was Always One Of Joshua's Favourite Times Of Year. Every Year Since Joshua Was Killed I Have Always Bought Him Presents In Memory Of Him. I Never Could Have Imagined I Would Be Forced Into A Life Sentence Without My Child. As I Lay Surrounded By The Gifts I Bought Him I Am Left Speechless As His Mother With Nothing More Than Memories Of What Should Have Been. Love, Mom

Photo of Joshua Caleb Baker – Joshua In His Element. He Thrived On Every Challenge Put Before Him. He Was An Amazing Soldier Who I Will Always Be So Very Proud Of. Love, Mom

Memorial – Due To A Total Lack Of Support And A Lot Of Soul Searching, I Was Forced To End The Memorials I Did In Joshua's Honour On The 5th Year Of His Death. I Tried Very Hard To Honour Joshua's Legacy And Sadly Nobody Seemed To Be On The Same Page. As Heart Wrenching As This Was For Me To Do, I Knew I Was Making The Right Decision. Joshua Deserved More Respect And Honour Than Was Given For The Sacrifice He Made. I Was Tired Of The Revolving Door Of People That Came In And Out Of My Life For Their Own Gratification And Attention. This Always Seemed To Be More About Them Wanting To Be In The Limelight So They Could Promote Themselves And/Or The Groups That They Represented. It Was So Sad That Some Of Those That Did Show Only Showed Up, It Seemed, Out Of Obligation Rather Than Sincerity And Compassion. As I Spoke For The Final Time I Remember The Tears Streaming Down My Face As I Said To Joshua In Heaven "I'm Sorry, Son." I Then Went Over To My Son's Picture And Gave Him A Kiss. I Knew Going Forward I Was The Only Person That Would And Will Continue To Keep Joshua's Memory Alive And Honour The Sacrifice He Made For Our Country. Love, Mom

Photo – This Picture Represents An Incredible Personal Victory For Both Joshua And Myself. From The Day Joshua Was Killed The Military Didn't Know How To Handle Joshua's Death And All The Circumstances Surrounding What Was Taking Place. So They Did What Was Easy For Them And That Was Sweep All The Issues Pertaining To Him Being Killed Under The Carpet. I Then Got Tired Of Not Getting Anywhere With Them And Wrote To The Chief Of Defense Staff General Walter Natynczyk. I Wrote Many Letters To Him With No Response Until One Day When I Was In The Drive Through Of Tim Horton's And My Cell Phone Rang. I Looked Down And Saw It Come Up As Private Number. I Had No Idea Who Would Be Calling Under Private Number. I Then Answered The Call Only To Hear "Hello Janet, This Is General Walter Natynczyk And I Hear You Are Wanting To Speak With Me." I Was Floored And Nearly Fell Out Of My Car When I Heard Who It Was. That Conversation Was The Start To A Year And A Half Of Working One On One With Him To Try And Rectify The Very Issues His Military Didn't Want To Deal With. At One Point I Met With Him At His Office In Ottawa. He Apologized Over And Over Again For All I Was Having To Deal With Because Of His Military Not Stepping Up And Doing Their Job. He Then Presented Me With Items That Should Have Come To Me But Hadn't Up To That Point. He Told Me That Because Of My Perseverance, I Had Set A Precedent That Had Never Been Done Before In Military History. He Then Said "Janet, You Are A Force To Be Reckoned With And I Know Joshua Would Be So Very Proud Of You." His Compassion And Willingness To Help Me Moved Mountains For Joshua And I Will Forever Be Grateful For That. I Remember Driving Home And Looking Towards Heaven And Saying To Joshua "I Did It, Joshua. I Won For You Son." I Can Only Imagine The Smile On His Face Knowing I Went Right To The Top And Won For Him. Love, Mom

Grave marker – Since Joshua Was Buried I Have Been Very Faithful In Visiting My Son Every Day. I Have Only Missed One Day In All The Years He Has Been Gone. That Day Was Completely Out Of My Control Since I Was In Manitoba Giving My Victim Impact Statement At The Trial Of Paul Ravensdale. To My Horror The Airport Was Snowed In. Unless You Lose A Child You Will Never Know The Devastation Of Not Being Able To Make It Back To The One You Gave Life To. Love, Mom

Photo – I Was Once Asked My Thoughts Of Remembrance Day Since Joshua Was Killed. This Is What I Said To Them As A Mother Who Now Lives The Rest Of Her Life Without Her Only Child. Since His Death Remembrance Day Has Taken On A Totally Different Meaning. I Understand The Significance Of The Day But I Feel That Veterans Should Be Remembered Every Day Of The Year And Not Just For This One Day. I Find It Disappointing That There Is Such A Two Week Hype Leading Up To November 11th And Then Right After The Ceremonies Are Over Everyone Seems To Go Back To Their Lives Like The Day Never Happened. As For Me, I Live The Nightmare Of Joshua's Death Every Second Of Every Minute, Of Every Hour, Of Every Day And Will Continue To For The Rest Of My Life. So In My Eyes Remembrance Day Does Not Have The Same Meaning Since I Have Been Forced To Live Without My Son And Grieve For Him Until I See Him Once Again. Love, Mom

Memorial – Every Year I Have Tried To Find Unique Gifts That Represented Joshua's Life. I Found Someone That Hand Carved Military Vehicles And Thought This Would Be An Amazing Gift For Joshua. I Contacted The Person Who Created Them And Had Him Ship One Up To Me For Joshua For Christmas. When I Received It I Was Very Impressed With The Detail And Design Of This Beautiful Carving. Love, Mom

Memorial – The Sixth Year Of Joshua Being Killed Was The First Year That I Did Not Have A Memorial For Him. I Did However, Still Want To Do Something Special For Him In His Honour. A Friend Of Mine Contacted The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association To See If They Would Do A Flyover At Pine Hill Cemetery In Honour Of Joshua. I Then Spoke With The President Of The Association To Set Up A Time And Date. He Did Mention That It Was Very Unusual To Fly In February But They Were Honoured To Be Asked And Were Very Willing To Participate. It was Originally Scheduled For February 12th, 2016 But Due To Weather Conditions It Was Moved to February 20th, 2016. As Seen In This Photo It Was The Perfect Weather For Flying. It Was A Beautiful Sight To See As They Flew Over The Cemetery Even Popping Smoke And Performing The Missing Man Formation As Best As They Could Do With Two Planes. As His Mother It Was Incredibly Emotional For Me As I Stood At Joshua's Grave To Hear The Planes Coming Before I Could See Them. I Know My Son Would Be So Proud. Love, Mom

Photo – After Joshua Was Killed I Felt Like A Mother Bear Having To Continually Defend Her Cub Over Legal And Personal Matters. I Chose To Refer To Myself As A Mother Bear Because Of Ferocity They Show In Defending Their Young. Having Said That I Started Calling Joshua My Little Cub Because Of How Hard I Had To Fight For Him. I Found A Wildlife Photographer That Took Beautiful Photographs Of Bears And Thought The Photo I Am Holding Fit Joshua To A Tee. Love, Mom

Memorial – After Much Planning And Red Tape, I Was Allowed Into The Ottawa Peace Tower To See Joshua's Name Written In The Seventh Book Of Remembrance. Normally People Are Not Allowed To Touch The Book, However, The Sargent At Arms Was Kind Enough To Loan Me One Of Her Gloves So I Could Actually Lay My Hand On The Book Under Joshua's Name. As His Mother, This Was Not The Way I Wanted Joshua Written Into Canada's History. Love, Mom

Grave marker – I Felt In Choosing A Marker For Joshua This Seemed Most Appropriate. It States Everything I Needed To Say. Love, Mom

Photo – It Has Been A Very Long Journey Since Joshua Was Killed. I Fought The Government, Military, Media And In Part Those That Seemed To Think Joshua Had More Family Than Just His Mother And Grandmother (My Mother). I Feel It Is Important To Set The Record Straight Once And For All. First And Foremost I Was 19 When I Had Joshua And Was A Single Mother Of An "Only" Child. He Was Raised By Me And My Mother And No One Else. When Joshua Was Killed The One Person Who Made A Conscious Choice To Step Out And Stay Out Of His Life For Almost 23 Years Suddenly Came Out Of The Woodwork And Has Been Continually Using His Death As A Platform For His Own Notoriety And Sympathy From Those Around Him. The Bottom Line Is He Did Not Know Joshua At All. You Don't Honour Someone By Trying To Be Someone You Never Were. I Refuse To Put Up Anymore Pictures Of Joshua Just So Other People Can Steal Them And Photoshop Myself And My Mother Out. That Is Incredibly Disrespectful And I Refuse To Cater To That. Joshua Would Be Disgusted At The Behaviour Being Shown Since He Was Killed. Joshua Is My Son. Love You Always, Joshua.