DAWN WALTON AND TIM ALBONE With a report from Canadian Press CALGARY AND KANDAHAR Master Corporal Raymond Arndt's feet almost kept him out of the military. But the Alberta man, whose one foot was three sizes smaller than the other, kicked up a fuss to become a reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.
"He loved the army. He loved the regiment. It was a big part of what he was," MCpl. Lance McFadzen recalled yesterday as he talked about his friend, who died on Saturday in a road accident in Afghanistan.
MCpl. Arndt, 32, was riding in a G-wagon about 35 kilometres south of Kandahar as part of a convoy moving supplies to a Canadian base at Spin Boldak on the border with Pakistan when it slammed head-on into a civilian truck loaded with cattle.
The accident happened on a treacherous stretch of highway.
"The exact circumstances of the accident are not known at this time, although enemy action has been ruled out," Colonel Tom Putt, deputy commander of Task Force Afghanistan, told reporters at Kandahar Air Field. "The soldier who lost his life was bringing critical medical supplies to his comrades. His sacrifice will not be forgotten." Three others were injured in the incident, including Cpl. Jared Gagnon and Cpl. Ashley VanLeuween, who arrived yesterday at the military medical facility in Landstuhl, Germany.
In an e-mail home to the regiment, Cpl. Greg O'Neill wrote that Cpl. Gagnon has a "very serious head injury and might not make it," while Cpl. VanLeuween suffered broken ribs, ankle and leg.
The accident happened only hours after the flag-draped coffins of four Canadian soldiers killed in a fierce firefight with Taliban rebels near Pashmul on Thursday were loaded onto to a transport plane for the final journey home.
Since April, 2002, 24 Canadian soldiers -- and one diplomat -- have been killed in Afghanistan.
MCpl. Arndt was 11 days shy of returning from his six-month deployment.
He married his wife, Darcia, last year. The couple, who met at a regimental dinner a few years ago, was looking forward to their life together in Edmonton, where they planned to have children.
"He was very devoted to his wife. He wanted to be a father. He was looking forward to starting a family," MCpl. McFadzen said.
His family issued a statement over the weekend and asked for privacy as they grieve.
"He was a loving husband, son, brother, uncle and friend," the statement said. "Ray had a love for life, for his family, and had a wonderful sense of humour. Ray was proud of who he was and of the work he was doing in Afghanistan." In 1999, MCpl. Arndt, who grew up in Edson, Alta., joined Alberta's oldest infantry regiment, dubbed The Loyal Eddies. The regiment has sent members to both world wars and recent missions to Africa, Bosnia and Cyprus, and operates by the motto "Fears No Foe." The death of MCpl. Arndt is the regiment's first in Afghanistan.
MCpl. Arndt was to be deployed to Bosnia in 2002, but his feet got the better of him. The military's supply outfit had trouble accomodating a soldier who needed two different-sized boots.
During training at CFB Wainwright, one boot fit and the other was three sizes too big. As MCpl. McFadzen recounted, soldiers doing 10-kilometre marches each day at 5 o'clock find their feet are their stock-in-trade, and MCpl. Arndt's small foot had been chewed to bits by the ill-fitting boot, causing him to be ordered off the Bosnia tour.
"That's why he really wanted to go on this one," said MCpl. McFadzen, referring to the Afghanistan mission. "He was very, very serious about his own professional development, over and above his belief in the righteousness of what he was doing and the people he was helping overseas." Major Michael Prendergast, the regiment's acting commanding officer, remembered MCpl. Arndt as a dedicated soldier, a strong leader and someone blessed with a great sense of humour.
"Going on exercises or just down around the armoury, it was kind of hard to miss him. He stood out. He always had this big grin on his face, you can't miss that," he recalled.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also expressed his condolences.
"Canadians are united in pride and gratitude behind this young man who represented our nation, and our values, with courage and honour. He is mourned by his countrymen on this sad day," he said in a statement.
Mr. Harper extended his best wishes to the three other soldiers who were injured in the accident, as did Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, who said MCpl. Arndt's death would not be in vain.
"MCpl. Arndt's legacy will be carried on by the people of Afghanistan whose lives he has touched, by his Canadian Forces family and by all who knew him," Mr. O'Connor said. "In spite of the complex risks faced in Afghanistan, our Canadian Forces members have the support of our great nation to succeed and will fulfill their mission."
PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
DATE: 2006.08.07
BYLINE: DAWN WALTON AND TIM ALBONE
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