New mural in Winnipeg pays tribute to Snowbirds Capt. Jennifer Casey

A new military mural in Winnipeg pays homage to some Canadian heroes, including the Snowbirds public affairs officer who was killed in a plane crash in Kamloops in May.

The Snowbirds were set to fly from Kamloops to Comox as part of their goodwill tour, when one of the planes veered off course and crashed into a Brocklehurst neighbourhood on May 17.

Capt. Jennifer Casey, originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, was killed in the crash and Capt. Richard MacDougall, one of the team’s co-ordinators and pilot of the aircraft, was injured.

The mural, titled Canadian Hero, is located at the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans unit 283. It was painted on the building over the last several weeks by artists Mandy van Leeuwen and Franklin Fernando.

Capt. Casey is prominently featured at the centre, alongside decorated Indigenous soldier Tommy Prince to her right. To her left is Second World War veteran Lester Brown.

To Brown's left is Megan Couto, who is the only hero on the mural still alive today. According to CAF Snowbirds spokesperson Rebecca Major, Couto was one of the first female Infantry Captains to go overseas for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace this summer.

READ MORE: Snowbirds give thanks for support; share image of items saved from Kamloops memorial

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