A grand salute to fallen soldiers. A granite monument -- shaped as a maple leaf -- stands tall at CFB Petawawa for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan.

Carol Mitchell's son, Robert, was the 40th soldier to die in Afganistan.

"All of us who've had sons that passed on, that's what we want the most: that they are not forgotten because they are not in our hearts," Mitchell says.

"The people here, they are never going to forget us."

Thirty-six lost since 2002

CFB Petawawa has provided soliders to Canada's Afghan mission since 2002. Many of these soliders returned to Afghanistan a number of times. The base has seen the loss of at least 36 soldiers in the Afghan war.

"This has been a difficult mission," says Maj.-Gen. Al Howard, the assistant chief of land staff.

"It's a chance to be able to show the families (our support) -- who don't get a lot of recognition in a lot of the sacrifices they go through."

End of mission comes in 2011

For families, it's a landmark in their grieving process.

"We've had almost four years to come to terms with our son's death, and this is a another piece of closure," says Carolyn Wilson.

CFB Petawawa is now on its last mission in Afganstan, as Canada gets ready to pull out troops in 2011.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Alyshah Hasham