With Canada's participation in the invasion of Afghanistan and the casualties of that conflict, the Canadian Forces came more into the public eye than it had been through the previous two decades. Governor General Adrienne Clarkson won wide praise for boosting Canadians' pride in the armed forces, spending Christmasses and New Years with forces personnel in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf and earning herself a special tribute from the Canadian Forces upon her retirement from the Queen's service in 2005. Members of the Royal Family continued their duties as honoraries, visiting troops in Canada and Afghanistan, as well as attending memorials.