Cpl. Nicholas Bulger was a dedicated family man – on his first tour of duty to Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, he made sure to pack a favourite Robert Munsch children’s book, I’ll Love You Forever, so he could read it to his two daughters through Skype every chance he had. Affectionately giving his two daughters the nicknames of Bear and Monkey, he kept two stuffed animals, one of a bear and one of a monkey, on his bed at camp to remind him of his close knit family back home.
First enlisting with the Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry in 2000, Cpl. Bulger took a few years off in 2003 after receiving an offer to work in the Alberta oil fields. As the years quickly went by, he was soon married and after the birth of his second daughter he decided to complete his dream and re-enlist with the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry in 2008. He strove to bring the best to whatever he did, whether working hard to make sure his family was always provided for, or providing guidance and leadership to his fellow soldiers through his kindness and his selfless character.
His sense of family and compassion was something he learned early on in life while living in a small town near Peterborough, ON. Acting as a role model for his younger siblings, and feeling the strong bond of community spirit and patriotism for his country, Cpl. Bulger was a man who would do anything for a person in need. It was these selfless acts and small town community spirit that stayed with Cpl. Bulger wherever he went – from pulling out stranded motorists from ditches in snow storms to hand delivering care packages to fellow soldiers serving in the fields from their loved one back home. His quiet manner and his charming, contagious grin acted as a light to his family and to the soldiers who served with him.
By Eileen Brettner
