OTTAWA - Every Canadian soldier who has died in Afghanistan and elsewhere since 2001 will be recognized with a Sacrifice Medal under newly revised criteria released Monday by Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

The award originally recognized only soldiers killed or wounded by hostile fire when it was first announced last year. An outcry from veterans groups and the families of soldiers killed in accidents forced the Defence Department to reconsider the eligibility rules.

MacKay says the revisions mean that all service-related deaths will be recognized.

"We hope this announcement will be warmly received by the families of those who sacrificed their lives while serving Canada," the minister said in a statement.

Under the old system, at least 11 soldiers killed in Afghanistan were not eligible for the new medal because their death did not occur as a result of hostile fire or from a bomb.

Veterans of peacekeeping missions were also upset by the medal, which has an eligibility date of Oct. 7, 2001 -- when Canada became formally involved in the Afghan war.

MacKay says the design and eligibility date will not be changed and the first awards ceremony for the new medal will take place sometime later this year at Rideau Hall.

A senior official with the Defence Departments awards and honours branch said the decision not to change the cut-off date was made in consultation with the public.

Andre Levesque said they've met with organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion which he said supported the decision to leave the eligibility date as originally intended.

That means soldiers who were wounded and killed in the Second World War, the Korean conflict and in dozens of peacekeeping missions around the world would not qualify for the recognition.

About 115 Canadian soldiers were killed and hundreds of others wounded over 40 years of peacekeeping missions. Many of them died under hostile fire.

The father of one of the soldiers excluded under the initial system was relieved that his son's death in Afghanistan more than three years ago will be formally be recognized as a sacrifice.

Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh died in an accidental shooting on a road outside Kandahar City in August 2006.

"I was just ecstatic. I never thought that it would ever come true," Ben Walsh said from his home in Regina.

"The wait has finally paid off. Ottawa never works very fast in any situation, but finally it has come through."

The grieving father was among those leading the charge to have the criteria changed after the medal was unveiled in August of last year. At the time, the award recognized only soldiers killed or wounded by hostile fire.

The round, silver medal is 36 millimetres across, has a clasp at the top in the form of the Royal Crown and is attached to a red, black and white ribbon. On one side, there's a profile of the Queen wearing a crown of maple leaves and snowflakes. The other side features an image from the Vimy Memorial with the word "Sacrifice."

Walsh says the fight was not only for his son, but for all soldiers.

"Canadian soldiers are Canada's defenders," he said. "You know right from the start, when I did start on the Sacrifice Medal, I always wanted to see every family get one, no matter how the person had died in Afghanistan.

"We will never forget," said Walsh. "We will move on, we'll close this chapter in our book and move on the best we can."