2 reservists among the dead Canadian soldiers

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
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Independent Palestine
EDMONTON (CP) - A carpenter and a postal worker were among the four Canadian troops killed in a bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan on Saturday - grim reminders of the growing role of part-time soldiers in Canada's military operations around the world.

One of the victims, Bombardier Myles Mansell of Victoria, joined the 5th (BC) Field Artillery Regiment reserve unit in 1998 after graduating high school.

When he wasn't swinging a hammer building houses, Mansell, 25, liked to spend his time taking gruelling army training courses.

"Myles had a strong belief in the work of the reserves and felt strongly about serving his country," Matthew Mansell, Myles's brother said Saturday.

Word of his death in the roadside bomb blast hit his family and military colleagues hard.

Mansell, affectionately known as Manny to members of his regiment, was engaged to be married when he returned from his nine-month tour in November.

Matthew Mansell said while the family always worried about Myles serving in a dangerous place like Afghanistan, their fears are no different than those felt by relatives of full-time members of the military.

"It doesn't matter whether you are a veteran soldier or a reservist, you are going into a hostile environment. We were concerned about him, but not enough not to let him go," he said.

"Myles was doing exactly what he believed in; trying to make a better world for everyone."

Lieut. William Turner, born in Toronto and stationed in Edmonton, was another victim of the explosion. He was an army reservist.

Turner, a letter carrier by trade, was serving as a Civilian-Military Co-operation officer in Afghanistan.

He volunteered to go overseas to replace Lieut. Trevor Greene, 41, a reserve member of the Vancouver-based Seaforth Highlanders Regiment. Greene was critically injured after being hit in the head with an axe during a visit to an Afghan village.

Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's top soldier, said the military makes no distinction between qualified reservists and the regular army soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan.

"We believe we have the training and preparation and the equipping ... to be the best in the world in that theatre. So reservist or regular force - it doesn't matter," Hillier said in Ottawa.

"We have a significant number of reservists in Afghanistan, as we do in all of our missions. Habitually, up to 20 per cent of our mission would be consisting of reservists. We use them all the time, every job that we do, in Canada or outside."

Reservists are part-time soldiers who can volunteer for overseas missions such as Afghanistan if they can pass rigorous military training.

Prospective candidates for the reserve must be willing to serve at least 30 to 45 days per year and attend a basic military training skills course.

Reservists are paid based on their rank, with a minimum salary of about $2,100 per month, plus benefits.

The other soldiers who died in the explosion were Cpl. Matthew Dinning of Richmond Hill, stationed in Petawawa, Ont., and Cpl. Randy Payne of Wainwright, Alta. Both were full-time members of the military.

Lincoln Dinning, Matthew Dinning's father, sent his condolences to the other families.

"We know what you're going through," he said through tears outside the family's home in Wingham, Ont.

The family saw him off at CFB Trenton, Ont., in January when he was deployed to Afghanistan.

"We said goodbye to him," he said. "We talked about the things that could happen, and he knew the risks, but he took them. He was proud to be there."

About 200 reservists from Atlantic Canada are training for a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan set to begin early next year.

Lieut. Marie-Claude Gagne, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Atlantic, said the troops would be troubled by the latest deaths but not deterred from going to the wartorn country.

"It's terribly saddening, our hearts go out to the families," she said.

"It drives home the point that it's a dangerous mission, but it needs to be done."

In Victoria, members of Mansell's reserve unit were to mark his death at a regimental band concert Sunday afternoon.

A bugler was to play the Last Post in his memory and an army chaplain was to say a prayer.

In the meantime, individual soldiers paid tribute to their friend on a military website.

"Myles will be truly missed. He was the life of the unit and a true friend," wrote one soldier.

Another soldier sent words of encouragement to Mansell's relatives.

"I am so sorry for your loss, our hearts go out to you," wrote the soldier. "You too were part and still (are a) part of the family."

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Damn, the 5th field regiment has a unit up in Nanaimo here as well as in Victoria same as 748. That just sucks to know that another fellow reservist from my area is now gone. Sad.
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
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38
Independent Palestine
I will probably head down for the funeral for Myles. Should check my e-mails and see if there is going to be anything our unit is going to do in remembrance for the guy.
 

fuzzylogix

Council Member
Apr 7, 2006
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Condolences, Jersay to you and his family. It is hard when the reality of war hits home and we are forced to realize that these are just people like us with the same plans for their life as we have.
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
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38
Independent Palestine
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The bodies of four Canadian soldiers killed in a roadside bomb attack over the weekend have begun their final journey home.

In a ceremony that has become all-too familiar at Kandahar airfield, the flag-draped caskets were carried into the open belly of a Hercules transport for Monday's flight to Trenton, Ont. Over 3,000 coalition troops - Canadian, American, British, Australian, Dutch, French, Romanian and Estonian - lined the concrete taxiway as light armoured vehicles bore the fallen soldiers to the edge of the formation.

The pallbearers, friends and comrades in arms, took them the rest of the way up the ramp of the aircraft with a bagpiper solemnly in lock-step behind them.

"Into your hands Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers,"

intoned Capt. David McLeod, a Roman Catholic padre with the Canadian Forces.

"In this life you have raised them with your tender love. Deliver them now from every evil."

Once aboard the aircraft, Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the coalition commander in southern Afghanistan, and some of his personal protection force held their own, private farewells. Two of the soldiers killed in Saturday's improvised explosive attack were part of the general's detail.

They had been returning to Kandahar airfield by road following a goodwill visit by Fraser on Friday to the village of Gumbad, 75 kilometres north of here. The general returned by helicopter Friday night.

Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell and Lieut. William Turner all died at the scene of the attack, a dried up riverbed.

The fourth soldier - Cpl. Randy Payne - died of his wounds in hospital.

Friends and comrades in arms remembered all of the fondly.

In recalling Lieut. William Turner - Bill to his friends - Sgt. Pete Maltais became choked up.

"He was compassionate. He was dedicated to his job ... and he was a friend," said the straight-talking military police officer, who spent time with Turner at Gumbad.

Maltais said he was happy to see such a large turnout for the ramp ceremony among coalition troops.

"As a soldier, you know, what's important is the beginning of the remembrance, so we don't forget what they've done," he said.

"When you die doing what you want to do, you're doing it for the right reasons and you feel useful, right? That's what counts."

The four had been travelling in a lightly armoured G-Wagon when it was rocked by a huge blast, likely from an explosive buried in the rock-strewn wadi.

It was the worst one-day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.

The Canadian flag outside of the coalition headquarters remained at half-mast, even though the flag above the Peace Tower on the Parliament buildings in Ottawa remained at normal station. The newly elected Conservative government has said it will no longer lower the flag to half-mast every time a Canadian soldier is killed, a break with tradition established by the Liberals.

A total of 15 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died since 2002 when Canada first became involved in Afghanistan following the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime.

An investigation has been launched into the attack.

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