Part of Operation Pilachi in Rockies

So when I got back from Afghanistan for us we went at a pretty hard time so everybody was, when we got back they were kind of treating us with kid gloves and just taking it easy and not doing too much. So there was always some sort of like fun thing or just little things to keep guys not bored but not too busy. So I came into work one day and the sergeant major asked if anybody would be interested in going into the Rockies in Golden and wanted to go join the artillery to shoot down avalanches and nobody put their hand up. So I was like, “I’m not doing anything!” So I put my hand up and I deployed with the Royal Horse Artillery there in Shilo to the Rockies on Operation Pilachi and we spent four months there responding to avalanche threats through Parks Canada so we would get a warning mission and we’d get a call like at three in the morning and we’d have to roll out with the 105 artillery cannons and set them up and shoot as many rounds into designated areas where they had where there were high threat snow areas and we’d shoot into the snow and cause avalanches to come down before they would get too big. The only really bad part about it was the early calls to go when the bad snow falls were hitting but it was really bad for the traffic and I didn’t know this I used to travel through the Rockies all the time for Christmas vacations and I always wondered why there would be so like the traffic would be jammed up but then after doing this I learned they closed the highway for hours. So you would see these guys and these people waiting in their cars for a long time until the fire mission was done and then you would open the highways and they would get to go again.

Returning home from Afghanistan, Corporal Kerr volunteers his service to destroy avalanches in the Canadian Rockies.

Nick Kerr

Nick Kerr was born December 2, 1981 in Victoria, B.C. His father was in the military and had a personal connection with Lady Patricia and Nick knew one day he would join that regiment. In 2003, he attended military training in Wainwright, Alberta and upon graduating went to Shilo, Manitoba. Nick joined with the 2nd Battalion Canadian Light Infantry holding rank of Corporal. In 2006 Nick accepted a deployment to Afghanistan. Returning from overseas, Nick continued serving and became part of the contingent for security at 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. as well as the 2011 floods in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Always willing to serve and volunteer his time, Nick became a huge part of the organization in which Highway of Heroes was born where he still commits twice a year to cleaning the highway. Corporal Kerr is a still serving member with the military and resides in the province of Alberta.