Soldiers to say final goodbyes to 3 comrades
Last Updated: Friday, August 22, 2008 | 9:06 AM ET
CBC News
A sombre mood fell over Kandahar Friday as Canadian troops prepared to say their final goodbyes to three comrades killed earlier in the week in the deadliest attack on Canadian forces this year.
Sgt. Shawn Eades was one of the three killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in the Zhari district of Afghanistan. (DND)The three combat engineers died Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their armoured vehicle on a deadly stretch of highway in southern Afghanistan.
On Friday, men and women in uniform will line the runway of the Kandahar Airfield to bid farewell to Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan Stock and Cpl. Dustin Wasden, after which the bodies will begin their long journey home.
Meanwhile, back in Canada, another rotation prepared to depart an eastern Ontario base for Afghanistan.
More than 2,000 soldiers will ship out of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in eastern Ontario after a departure ceremony Friday afternoon.
August has been a trying month for foreign troops in the war-torn country, with the death of 10 French soldiers and three Polish ones in the past few days. Two other Canadian soldiers and two Canadian aid workers also died in mid-August.
But even though troops are cognizant of the losses, the "overwhelming sense" on Friday was "business as usual" and they remain resolved to continue the mission, said CBC reporter Derek Stoffel.
Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson acknowledged Thursday that the recent months have seen increasingly aggressive attacks by the Taliban, but said the insurgents fail to hold the ground.
Taliban attacks are "absolutely not" whittling away at the resolve of Canadian troops, he said.
"If we leave this people, if we leave the population of Kandahar province in the hands of the Taliban, we just won't be performing our duty and our soldiers know that," he said.
All three soldiers killed Wednesday were part of a tight-knit group of combat engineers as part of the 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton. They were attached to the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group while in Kandahar.
"We will remember Sgt. Eades, Corp. Wasden and Sapper Stock as truly dedicated Canadian soldiers who served their country with professionalism and courage," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in a press release.
"We have all been deeply saddened to hear of the deaths," said the statement. Another soldier, whose name was not released, was also injured in Wednesday's attack.
Eades, 33, of Hamilton, Ont., was described as a veteran soldier who was well-respected by all in the military. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
The family of Stock, 25, of Campbell Bay, B.C., said he was loved by many, with his friends stretching from coast to coast.
"He wanted his friends to have no fear for him because he had no fear of the mission in Afghanistan. We truly believe that if he came home safe that he would request to return for another tour," a statement from the family said.
Wasden, who grew up on a family farm near Leoville in west central Saskatchewan, leaves behind a wife and young daughter.
Interviewed by CBC News in June 2007, he had been undeterred by the deaths of three of his comrades. "It's part of the job, it's what you do," he said.
The latest three deaths bring the total number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002 to 93.
About 2,500 Canadian soldiers are now serving in Afghanistan, most of them in the volatile south.
CBC reporter Chris Goldrick, reporting from CFB Petawawa in Ontario, said that soldiers in the new rotation seem eager to begin the mission and put their skills into practice after lengthy training.
For the past year, training has focused on urban warfare and how to fight insurgents in close quarters, scenarios troops will often encounter in Afghan villages, he said.
But Goldrick also noted there was a palpable feeling of nervousness among soldiers, not for their own safety but for family members worrying about their safety.
A majority of the 2,000 soldiers will be entering Afghanistan for the first time.