Warrant Officer Richard Nolan was one of four Canadians killed in combat on Sunday.
Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan was killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. (Courtesy DND)He and his common-law partner, who is also serving in Afghanistan, were based at CFB Petawawa in Ontario, where Nolan's mother cared for the couple's four children.
Sarah Proulx, Nolan's next-door neighbour in Petawawa, described him as a dedicated soldier and father, and said the community is in shock.
"I'm still numb. I can't believe that it happened," Proulx told CBC News.
"Rick's been only gone a month. We talked many times about them going over, and they said, 'That's our job. We're soldiers.'"
Nolan was killed while Canadians were battling Taliban fighters during a major offensive aimed at taking control of two dangerous districts in southern Afghanistan. Also killed were Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, Sgt. Shane Stachnik and an unidentified fourth soldier.
Padre Joseph Johns said the atmosphere at the base has been sombre since residents learned of the deaths.
"When events like this occur, it happens to us as a family and we respond to it as a family," Johns said.
"We mourn, we grieve, but we also carry on with the task at hand of caring for each other."
Johns said the base will prepare Tuesday for the repatriation ceremony for the soldiers' remains.
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 5, 2006 7:18 AM NT
CBC News
No comments:
Post a Comment