Master Corporal Mark Robert Isfeld (August 14, 1962 – June 21, 1994) was a Canadian soldier and United Nations peacekeeper who served in UNIKOM and

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

as a

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare ta ...

. He was killed by a landmine while on tour in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. He is best known for handing out small knitted dolls, known as "Izzy dolls", to children while on duty.

Early life

Isfeld was born in

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, to Brian and Carol Isfeld. He graduated from the School of Military Engineering in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

, BC. He joined the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

on May 22, 1986.

Military career

Isfeld first served in UNIKOM from April to October 1991. He then served in UNPROFOR from October 1992 to April 1993. During this tour, Isfeld had noticed a doll lying on a pile of rubble. He took a picture of the doll and sent it to his mother, who began to crochet small woolen dolls for Isfeld to distribute to the local children. These dolls were nicknamed "Izzy dolls" by his unit. He then served in UNPROFOR again, from April to June 1994. It was on this tour that he was killed while disarming a landmine, in the village of

Kakma Kakma is a village in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , m ...

Legacy

Canadian Forces Logistics Museum interior 01

After Isfeld's death, his mother continued to send Izzy dolls to the Canadian Armed Forces for distribution to children in conflict zones. Friends and relatives of Carol Isfeld began to contribute Izzy dolls as well. The pattern for the Izzy doll was published online, so that anyone could make and send them. Various charities and organizations began to handle distribution, such as

ICROSS International Community for the Relief of Suffering and Starvation (ICROSS) is an international non-governmental organisation that provides health and development services for pastoral communities in East Africa. The organisation was formerly kno ...

, Health Partners International of Canada, and the Canadian Military Engineers Association. After Carol and Brian Isfeld's death, the Isfeld family agreed to let Shirley O'Connell coordinate distribution. Approximately 1.3 million Izzy dolls have been given out around the world. Courtenay Junior Middle School in Courtenay, B.C. was renamed

Mark R. Isfeld Senior Secondary School Mark R. Isfeld Senior Secondary is a public high school in Courtenay, British Columbia, part of School District 71 Comox Valley. History The school opened as Courtenay Junior Middle School in 1995, but was renamed in October 2001 in honor of Maste ...

in October 2001. A statue of Isfeld stands in

Peacekeeper Park Peacekeeper Park is an urban park in Calgary, Alberta. The park is located in the neighbourhood of North Glenmore, on the former grounds of Canadian Forces Base Calgary. The park includes a memorial wall with the names of Canadian Forces members ...

, located in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

References

External links

"The Price of Duty", a National Film Board of Canada documentary on Isfeld
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isfeld, Mark United Nations peacekeeping Canadian military personnel killed in action United Nations Protection Force soldiers 1962 births 1994 deaths People from Zweibrücken People from Chilliwack 20th-century Canadian military personnel Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate