Wednesday is National Peacekeepers Day in Canada, but in Gull Lake, it is also Captain Keith Mirau Day.

Keith Mirau, who is from Gull Lake, was a peacekeeper in the Canadian Armed Forces and during a resupply mission in Syria on August 9, 1974, the United Nations Flight 51 he was travelling in was shot down. Tragically Mirau and the other eight peacekeepers that were on board were killed. It marks the biggest loss of Canadian peacekeepers in a single day.

Blake Campbell, the mayor of Gull Lake, said Mirau is certainly viewed as a hometown hero.

"To the community of Gull Lake, we certainly see Keith as a hometown hero," said Campbell. "We`re very proud of his contribution to peacekeeping efforts, and also to all of our peacekeepers, and as a result of the circumstances that surrounded his death have really resonated with all of us in the community and we all feel that this is something we all want to put forward and remember."

Campbell said a former Gull Lake resident was the catalyst for August 9 being declared Captain Keith Mirau Day.

"Last August we had a request made by a former resident of Gull Lake, who wrote to the council and asked us to consider having August 9 declared Captain Keith Mirau day," said Campbell. "He felt that it was important to honour every peacekeeper but also that there was a great deal of significance surrounding Keith`s involvement in the declaration of the day. He felt that we should make a proclamation, and we made the proclamation last August, but we wanted to go a little bit further with it, so we had a plaque made and installed it over in the cenotaph."

In June of 2008, the federal government marked August 9 National Peacekeepers' Day to commemorate those who lost their lives on that fateful day and to remember peacekeepers that have served and are currently serving, the country of Canada.