With the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar coming to a politically-mandated end in December, the last of the troops and materiel are now getting ready for the final trip home.

Among the most precious of all the cargo is the memorial to Canada’s war dead that stands behind the old headquarters building in the Canadian compound at Kandahar Airfield.

On November 12, 2011, a group of engineers began dismantling the memorial and (very carefully) packing it up for the long trip back to Canada, as shown in the photo above.

Eventually, it will be re-assembled somewhere in the Ottawa area, most likely at the Beechwood cemetery, according to current wisdom.

Stay tuned for more stories and posts about what Canadians are doing now in Afghanistan, as the training mission continues until 2014.