Sapper Christopher Holopina grew up in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. After having served in the 26th Field Artillery Regiment in Portage and graduating from high school, he joined the Canadian Army and served as a combat engineer in 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in Petawawa, Ontario.
Before deploying to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996, Chris had served two previous tours - the first in Cyprus in 1992-93 and the second in Croatia in 1993-94. Chris was well liked by his comrades and was known to be friendly and generous. It was said his heart was as big as his stature. He was six feet four inches tall and his uniforms were tailor made. During his time in Bosnia, he helped his family in Canada to organize a toy and clothing drive for children. His family collected, packed and shipped donations to Bosnia where Chris handed them out.
Early on the morning of 4 July 1996, Chris' troop was tasked with rescuing a group of British soldiers trapped in a minefield. 2 CER had only days left to serve before they were to be rotated home. Chris' last call to his mother two days earlier was to ask her to pick him up at the Winnipeg airport when he arrived home. Rushing to scene, the armoured vehicle in which Chris was riding in left the road to avoid an accident and careened down a ravine and rolled over. Chris was killed and the other six soldiers injured. He was 22 years old.
Spr Chris Holopina was the first Canadian to give his life in Bosnia as part of Operation ALLIANCE. The Portage la Prairie Armoury lounge was renamed the Holopina Lounge and a wall was dedicated to him, while the province named a lake after him in 2005. Spr Chris Holopina now rests at the St. John cemetery in Shell Valley, north of Russell, Man., where he was born. Chris' mother, Mrs Gloria Hooper, was selected as the Silver Cross Mother in 2023.