The Light Armored Vehicle (LAV III) coming over from Ontario to take its final resting spot at the cemetery here in Lacombe, is one step closer to arriving.

The Lav III should be making its way into Lacombe sometime this month, as enough money has been raised to transport it.

The final costs will now go into preparing the Field of Honour for the vehicle, and installing things like benches, flowers, a walking path, and some information plaques, as well as anchoring the vehicle to the ground.

At a recent Lacombe County Council meeting, Calvin Swarbrick, the Treasurer of the Lacombe Legion, approached council and asked for a donation of $5,000 towards the project.

At the time, they had raised a total of $46,105, leaving the fundraising goal short by $16,363.75.

Swarbrick says the County generously approved the largest single donation to date at that council meeting.

"They looked at our financials we gave them, and it looked like we had 16 thousand left to raise, so they donated half of that. The Legion will put up what it’s short, so the more we can raise the less the legion has to put in".

You can still purchase LAV III stickers around town to help with the final fundraising push.

They are $5 dollars each and available at the City of Lacombe, Cilantro and Chive, and the Lacombe Legion.

Swarbrick reminds us that this project has a special meaning for Lacombe, as it pays tribute to Master Corporal Byron Greff, the last Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, who was from Lacombe.

(An artist's rendering of what the Lacombe Afghanistan Memorial project will eventually look like, courtesy of the City of Lacombe)