ANDY'S MESSAGE IS THERE'S NO REASON FOR VIOLENCE
On September 12, we were invited to a special ceremony at La Citadelle
in Quebec City to receive the Medal Of Bravery posthumously for our son
Andy. We were so honoured to receive his medal from Her Excellency the
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. This medal will be treasured by all
of us for the rest of our lives.
It is clear now through this medal that Andy did not die in vain. So on
Sunday, September 14, many people gathered at St. Francis Xavier
Cemetery here in Brockville to honour Andy and present him with his
Medal Of Bravery.
A special thank you to Bob Runciman, Leeds-Grenville MPP, who opened
Andy's ceremony and presented us with a certificate from the Government
of Ontario recognizing the bravery of Andy. Thank you Mayor Ben TeKamp
for saying a few words to all who gathered. Thank you to Det. Hayes of
the Ottawa Police who draped Andy's medal around his headstone. This
special man was there for Andy over the past four-plus years and gave us
so much support and got us through the long judicial proceedings. Thank
you to Father Tim of St. John Bosco Church for blessing Andy's resting
place. Thank you to Brockville Police for coming and representing law
and order of our community. A very special thank you to Malcolm Clark of
Maitland who played the bagpipes to our hero.
We miss him so much. There isn't a day or a night that he is not on our
minds. Many times we wish he would have looked the other way like most
people nowadays would do, but that was not Andy. He followed his heart
and got up to help. Andy died a hero the night of Dec. 23, l998. His
story can be read on a special Web site dedicated to him by his brother
Rod Jr. at www.andymoffitt.org. This special Web site along with The
Andrew Moffitt Memorial Scholarship Fund will be around forever.
Andy has left his mark on the world. He touches everyone who reads
about him and he will continue leaving his message that violence should
NOT be part of our society. This is his legacy.
To all those who carry knives on them each and every day, as you put
that knife in your pocket remember Andy. Remember a young man who had
the world ahead of him. A young man with a promising future. A young man
who had so many dreams. A young man who promised his little brother that
he would be here for him the rest of his life. Dreams and a promise that
will never come true because of a terrible act of violence.
Most people who receive this special medal get to tell their stories of
bravery, but Andy is no longer here so we must all pass on his message
that there is no reason for violence in today's society.
Paulette Moffitt (Andy's mom) on behalf of The Moffitt family.
