Crosses line Calgary's Memorial Drive

Hundredsof white crosses now line Memorial Drive in Calgary in honour of the soldiers who have fallen through the decades.

So far, the Calgary Poppy Fund, the group behind the idea, has been able to trace 506 soldiers from the Calgary area whose names will be displayed on the crosses.

"It is a tremendous eye opener for me because you actually see the names and you see where they were killed and when they were killed," said George Bittman, one of the organizers.

He and a group of veteran volunteers are behind the idea, which was made a reality thanks to a $100,000 donation from a Calgary businessman.

The donation is enough to set up 3,000 white plastic crosses along busy Memorial Drive this year to remind Calgarians of soldiers from the area who have died in battle from the First World War to present day.

"If you are just throwing a number out that's just a number, but when you see a name attached to that number, it will stand out," said Klaus Rimke of the Canadian Veterans Motorcycle Unit.

Among those being honoured is Nathan Hornburg, 24, who was killed in 2007 in Afghanistan.

"I think he would be very proud of this because he had studied and read about heroes all of his life," said his dad, Michael Hornburg.

The latest cross to be added belongs to Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, who was killed Friday in Afghanistan.

The Memorial Drive display is temporary and will be taken down after Remembrance Day. Organizers plan to set it up every November.