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MADD Canada unveils memorial to “the nicest man in NATO”
By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff
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Chief Petty Officer Second Class (CPO2) Mark Burnett was driving to work from Lawrencetown on the morning of July 10, 2013, when he was struck and killed by an impaired driver.
Now, CPO2 Burnett has been honoured with a new memorial bench installed at Stadacona, outside the Naval Seamanship Training Facility (S-120). Unveiled during a ceremony on July 10, the bench serves as a tribute to his life and legacy, and as a powerful reminder of the risks of impaired driving.
The memorial was made possible through a partnership between Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Halifax Regional and the Halifax Regional Police, with support from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax. The black granite bench is engraved with a dedication to CPO2 Burnett and features his portrait alongside the MADD logo.
The seat faces the former Canadian Naval Engineering School, where CPO2 Burnett was serving as the school’s Auxiliary Chief at the time of his death.
“It makes my heart happy. This is the perfect place to immortalize him,” said Andrea Burnett, CPO2 Burnett’s widow, at the unveiling.
She described her husband as “a jokester” with a great sense of humour, who brought happiness to everyone around him and boosted morale everywhere he served.
Andrea said junior sailors were often intimidated when they first met CPO2 Burnett due to his large stature and loud voice, but they would soon realize how warm and welcoming he was.
“He was the mess mom… he’d give you the shirt off his back,” she said, recalling her husband’s impact on fellow sailors. “They called him ‘the nicest man in NATO’.”
His selflessness extended beyond his time in uniform. After the 2013 crash, despite suffering critical injuries, Andrea learned that her husband urged first responders to help the occupants of the other vehicle first. His actions helped save the life of a young woman at the scene.
The memorial unveiling was well attended by CPO2 Burnett’s family, old friends and shipmates, and members of MADD Halifax Regional.
Anissa MacLeod, local MADD president, was present at the ceremony and said she hopes the memorial “gives people time to pause and reflect” on the consequences of impaired driving.
CPO2 Burnett’s bench at Stadacona is the sixth memorial bench MADD has installed in Nova Scotia. MacLeod said the granite benches offer a permanent tribute that can be placed in high-visibility areas to help keep the human cost of impaired driving in the public eye.
She described collisions like the one that took CPO2 Burnett’s life as “tragic losses that are one hundred percent preventable,” and stressed the importance of marking these events to raise public awareness.
After the ceremony, attendees spent time having lunch and sharing their favourite stories of CPO2 Burnett. Andrea said she thought he would have approved of the gathering — especially the storytelling, though perhaps not the quiet music.
“Every time on the ship when they would have a get-together, he’d have to play Who Let the Dogs Out. Can you imagine that playing right now? That was Mark’s sense of humour,” she said with a laugh.
CPO2 Burnett’s planned memorial was a long time coming. Its construction was delayed for several years due to material shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic. The delays didn’t bother Andrea, who said it had taken her years to feel emotionally ready for the ceremony.
“This is a good time. I think sooner, it might have been a little too hard, and now it feels appropriate.”
