# Cpl. Michael Starker - 15 Fd Amb - 06 May 2008



## military granny

Cpl. Michael Starker was killed when he came under enemy fire during a patrol in the Pashmul region of the Zhari district. (_Canadian Forces Combat Camera_)


My condolences to this Canadian hero's family, comrades and friends.


----------



## mysteriousmind

May he rest in peace, let us never forget his courage, bravery and honnor.

We will never forget our brother.


----------



## ladybugmabj

St. Micheals Medical Team said:
			
		

> Instead of wasting pages on generic condolences, why do we not wait until the person is ID'd.
> 
> That way we can direct our condolences appropriately to the family and those who knew the deceased.



Regardless of a name, unit, etc,  I still would like to pass on my condolences to the family. I don't think any space is wasted space at this time.

My condolences to a fine soldier. Stand easy, RIP


----------



## Mike Baker

Just heard this on the news. RIP Soldier 



			
				ladybugmabj said:
			
		

> Regardless of a name, unit, etc,  I still would like to pass on my condolences to the family. I don't think any space is wasted space at this time.
> 
> My condolences to a fine soldier. Stand easy, RIP


I agree.


----------



## BernDawg

Stand easy soldier.


----------



## ArmyGuy99

RIP Brother


----------



## Kyu

Rest in peace.


----------



## ark

RIP soldier


----------



## geo

At ease Cpl Starker, your work is done, we'll carry the load from here on in.
My condolences to Family, Friends and comrades

At the going down of the sun
and in the morn,
we will remember them!

CHIMO!


----------



## Teeps74

RIP


----------



## 1feral1

I am beyond hating this news.

In peacetime, a son buries his father. 

In war, a father buries his son.


----------



## slowmode

Rest In Peace Cpl. Your service was much needed and we thank you for all you have done. I cannot thank you enough


----------



## tech2002

rip


----------



## RTaylor

Every time I see a death of a Canadian Armed Forces member it brings back memories of 2 people who I counted as friends who sacrificed themselves for the good of another nation.

I can only imagine how the families feel.


----------



## krustyrl

> I am beyond hating this news.
> 
> In peacetime, a son buries his father.
> 
> In war, a father buries his son




Never heard it said better, Thanks Wes.!

RIP Cpl Starker..


----------



## tomahawk6

RIP Cpl Starker


----------



## Nfld Sapper

> The Combat Medic Prayer
> 
> Oh Lord, I ask for the divine strength to meet the demands of my profession. Help me to be the finest medic, both technically and tactically. If I am called to the battlefield, give me the courage to conserve our fighting forces by providing medical care to all who are in need. If I am called to a mission of peace, give me the strength to lead by caring for those who need my assistance. Finally, Lord, help me to take care of my own spiritual, physical and emotional needs. Teach me to trust in your presence and never-failing love.
> 
> AMEN



RIP Cpl. Starker


----------



## Scottish_Mom

Thoughts and prayers for Cpl. Michael Starker, his family, friends and brothers in arms. Thank you for your sacrifice. You are another Canadian hero.


----------



## Richie

There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said. As a Canadian, I grieve for the loss of one of our own, each one lost hurts deeply. As a civilian, I can only say "Thank you Michael Starker, for protecting our nation and our way of life and may you find eternal peace."


----------



## armoured recce man

as a reservist he made a sacrifice that reg force people like me to often forget, often we're  voluntold but he volunteered, he gave his live so that other could one day have a better one.


take care up there, you did good


----------



## Civvymedic

Mike was also a f/t Paramedic with Calgary EMS.

RIP


----------



## WrenchBender

Another sad day for the Forces and the city of Calgary.

RIP  

WrenchBender


----------



## Hot Lips

RIP Cpl Starker  

HL


----------



## ENGINEERS WIFE

Man, oh, man, do I hate to hear this news.  Really brings the day to a screeching halt. 
I can't even imagine how his family feels.  
Now, I will have to head down to the 'Highway of Heroes' yet again.  I really wish I never have to go down there for this reason.

My deepest sympathies to Cpl Starker, his family and all of his brothers/sisters in arms.  
Nothing I say or do will make it better or easier, but know that I appreciate your sacrifice and I will make sure I am there when you make your final trip home.  I will always remember. 

 Thank you, Robin


----------



## jollyjacktar

My heart is heavy once again.  Thank you for your service to us all.  Peace be with you, and your family.  Fair winds and following seas.


----------



## Armymedic

Another of St Micheal's has fallen. 

Your fellow caregivers, military and civilian, shall never forget the sacrifice you gave this day.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen, and hopes for a speedy and complete recovery to the injured.


----------



## Rocketryan

Rest in Peace Cpl Starker   

My condolences to his family and friends


----------



## karl28

Rest in Peace Cpl Starker


----------



## Celticgirl

*R.I.P. Corporal Starker    *


----------



## Cdn Blackshirt

My deepest condolences to his family, friends and brothers in arms.


Matthew.


----------



## manhole

Rest in Peace........our condolences to the family and friends of Cpl. Starker.......


----------



## NL_engineer

RIP Doc  :cdnsalute:


----------



## tomahawk6

The journey home begins. 














Pallbearers carry the coffin of Corporal Michael Starker of 15 Field Ambulance onto a Canadian Air Force aircraft during a Ramp ceremony at the Kandahar air field May 7, 2008. Corporal Starker was killed on Tuesday, with another Canadian soldier wounded when they come under enemy fire during a patrol in the Pashmul region of the Zhari district.


----------



## lone bugler

As a med tech I hope he made war a bit more bearable, RIP


----------



## old medic

Calgary EMS web posting
http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Emergency+Medical+Services/News/Remembering+Corporal+Michael+Starker.htm


Remembering Corporal Michael Starker

Emergency Medical Services
May 7, 2008



> On May 5, 2008, The City of Calgary Emergency Medical Services (EMS) received the tragic news that paramedic Michael Starker was killed in the line of miliary duty while serving in Afghanistan. This is the first line of duty death for Calgary EMS. This is a significant loss for EMS, The City of Calgary and the entire community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Mr. Starker was on leave from Calgary EMS serving as a corporal with the 15 Field Ambulance Regiment. Corporal Starker deployed to Afghanistan in early 2008. He began his career with The City of Calgary EMS in June 2005.
> 
> To send condolences, memories and well wishes to Michael's family, please email emspeo@calgary.ca. An online guestbook has also been created to collect condolences at: Legacy External Site..
> 
> Your thoughts will be passed along to Corporal Starker's family. If you wish us to publish your thoughts on this page, please clearly indicate this in your email.



http://www.legacy.com/can-calgary/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=109156290


----------



## old medic

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5idyNIio0xfNnGCGprxdIL9rv5eNQ

Family and friends trying to cope with the death of Calgary soldier

2 hours ago



> CALGARY — As a rule, Canadian soldiers tend to fall into the category of strong, silent types but tears were falling freely Wednesday as friends and colleagues in Calgary remembered Cpl. Mike Starker.
> 
> Starker, 36, a Calgary reservist with 15 Field Ambulance, was once a member of the now disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment. He died Tuesday in southern Afghanistan when his patrol came under fire during an ambush.
> 
> While Starker's flag-draped coffin was on its way back to Canada after a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Air Field, his friends reflected on their loss.
> 
> "We are a regimental family and a member of our family's lost," said Lt.-Col. Roger Scott, commanding officer of 15 Field Ambulance, as he choked back tears.
> 
> "It's a very emotional time and I am exceedingly proud of my troops right now. We all got together last night. A few tears were shed but my unit is really rallying."
> 
> The Canadian and regimental flag outside the Calgary office of 15 Field Ambulance were hanging at half mast. The mood inside the building was equally downcast.
> 
> "Right now it's a real kind of gut check personally, seeing what can happen to a buddy ... especially a good friend," acknowledged Cpl. Alasdair Robertson-More, who was leaving a few hours later for deployment on board a U.S. Navy ship in southeast Asia.
> 
> "I had a few discussions with Cpl. Starker's wife as well as many members of my unit and I think it would have been easy to say no, this is too hard, this is too much, I'm not going," said Robertson-More.
> 
> "But that's not the way Mike was and so I'm going to carry on with the mission and soldier on."
> 
> Starker is survived by his wife Nicole, his parents Gunther and Helen and sister Carolyn. The family issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon.
> 
> "Mike loved being a paramedic with Calgary EMS and loved being a soldier in the Canadian Forces, especially his time in the Canadian Airborne Regiment," it read.
> 
> "He was very proud of the people that he served with and those whom he led."
> 
> "Michael died doing what he loved. In his heart, he was a soldier and in his blood, a paramedic. But soldiering wasn't the only thing that Mike gave his heart to. He gave his heart and soul to his wife, parents, family and friends."
> 
> "Mike will be missed terribly by the family, friends and many people who loved him and were fortunate enough to have known him in this life," said the statement.
> 
> It was Starker's second tour of Afghanistan and he was eager to go last February, said Col. Scott.
> 
> "He had been putting his name in for just about every deployment opportunity that had come up in the past few years and so when the people did get chosen he was really happy to be going," he added.
> 
> Starker, who started out in infantry before becoming a medic, loved being in the Canadian Forces, said Master Cpl. Andrew Stevens.
> 
> "When we were in the field he'd always bolster on the young infantry troops saying this infantry stuff is so easy," he smiled. "They just looked at him as if he was just another medic, not realizing his extensive background in the military."
> 
> Although reservists receive the same kind of training as regular forces before being deployed, Col. Scott said it's still difficult to cope.
> 
> "Your training can only do so much. It doesn't take away the emotional impact of losing a friend and losing a soldier."


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=08849c0a-40e2-47b7-b86f-87c3f6cbd2c7

Statement from Cpl. Starker's family
Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008



> Michael (Mike) Starker died doing what he loved. In his heart, he was a soldier and in his blood - a paramedic. But soldiering wasn't the only thing that Mike gave his heart to. He gave his heart and soul to his wife, parents, family and friends.
> 
> A soldier's soldier and a born leader, Mike wasn't afraid to take on the difficult jobs and one that he took most seriously was taking care of his family, friends and those in his military and EMS families. Everyone liked him and everyone wanted Mike on patrol with them - always. He had the ability to make people feel safe and that they could handle any challenge. It made him not only a stellar paramedic and soldier, it made him a great person to know.
> 
> Always quick with a laugh, a joke and his trademark mischievous smile, Mike had many friends and was respected by everyone.
> 
> Uncle Mike was especially adored by his nieces, nephew and godchildren. He was the uncle every child would be blessed to have and entertained the kids like only he could. His special brand of humour always made them laugh.
> 
> He loved the outdoors and along with being an avid rider of motorbikes, atv's and mountain bikes, could setup a camp made for a king in ten seconds flat. A fabulous cook, Mike would divulge none of his "secret recipes" that kept people coming back for more.
> 
> Mike loved being a paramedic with Calgary EMS and loved being a soldier in the Canadian Forces - especially his time in the Canadian Airborne Regiment. He was very proud of the people that he served with and those whom he led.
> 
> Mike will be missed terribly by the family, friends and many people who loved him and were fortunate enough to have known him in this life.


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/news/story.html?id=58fd9f1b-a675-4c10-a83b-13a9d5131e70&k=86330

'He just thought it was his duty to serve'
Calgary medic killed in Taliban ambush was on second tour
Gwendolyn Richards, Sarah McGinnis and Stephane Massinon ,  Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008



> Cpl. Michael Starker had already dedicated years of his life to the Canadian military when volunteers were sought to serve in the dangerous Afghan mission.
> 
> Despite having a wife and a career as a Calgary paramedic, the local medic felt the need to serve one more time.
> 
> What was anticipated to be his last tour in Afghanistan proved deadly for the Calgary reservist, who was killed Tuesday during a Taliban ambush that also injured another Canadian soldier.
> 
> "He had some previous military experience and decided he would go back in the reserves and go for one more tour," said Bruce Robb, president of CUPE Local 3421, which represents Calgary's paramedics.
> 
> The 36-year-old member of 15 Field Ambulance was on foot patrol when the group was attacked in the Pashmul region of the Zhari district.
> 
> Starker is the fourth Calgarian, and 83rd Canadian soldier, to die during the Afghanistan mission.
> 
> "We have lost a fine soldier today and our thoughts are with his family and friends," said Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, commanding general of Task Force Afghanistan.
> 
> "He died helping Afghans build a better future for themselves and their children. His dedication and sacrifice will not be forgotten."
> 
> Calgary-born Starker leaves behind his wife, Nicole.
> 
> The couple had been together for more than a decade. They had no children.
> 
> Starker's family did not wish to speak publicly Tuesday, so soon after receiving the tragic news.
> 
> "We don't want to make any comments right now. We're grieving and we just want to deal with our grief right now," said a cousin.
> 
> His friends amongst the Calgary EMS crews were sensing the loss Tuesday as word trickled back from Afghanistan.
> 
> He was a man with a heart of gold, a man who brought out the best in everyone, EMS Chief Tom Sampson said during a news conference. "He was one of those guys who would stand up when you needed someone to stand up.
> 
> "He never hesitated to help people and, indeed, he was doing just that in Afghanistan."
> 
> Starker had already done a practicum with Calgary EMS before joining as an emergency medical technician in June 2005, eventually becoming a paramedic in 2007.
> 
> He ensured his patients were taken care of and advocated for them at the hospitals, said EMS chaplain John Hein.
> 
> Amongst medics, the mood has gone from disbelief to utter grief. Starker was always laughing, always smiling and joking with his friends in the ambulance bay, said fellow paramedic Sean Steeden. He had a passion for the outdoors, especially mountain biking.
> 
> But it was his life's work to help others -- be they Calgarians calling 911 or Afghans in the wartorn country who have nowhere to turn.
> 
> "He just thought it was his duty to serve," Steeden said softly, shaken by the loss. "He just wanted to make things better."
> 
> The driving need to improve the lives of others remained a constant throughout Starker's life. As a student in SAIT Polytechnic's paramedic program, Starker was a natural leader, said Steven Pilkington, the program's former academic co-ordinator.
> 
> Starker came to the Paramedic Outreach Program already enrolled in the military, and he graduated in 2005 with high marks.
> 
> "Because of his military background, he had the obvious military leadership abilities. He worked extremely hard; he set the bar high. He made sure the rest of his classmates achieved the same level of expertise that he did," Pilkington said.
> 
> Pilkington remembered how one day Starker and two other outreach program students were at the school's testing centre when a SAIT student had a seizure.
> 
> "(Starker) recognized that it was a medical emergency and he immediately, with the assistance of the other two students, provided emergency care," Pilkington recalled.
> 
> The fact he stayed calm and provided urgent medical care to a student in need showed what type of person Starker was, Pilkington said.
> 
> Using his medical skills to serve his country was also at Starker's core.
> 
> He had been with the Edmonton-based unit for the past five years and "his dedication was second to none," 15 Field Ambulance commanding officer Lt.-Col. Roger Scott said in a statement.
> 
> "At the time of the incident, our soldiers were conducting a civil-military co-operation patrol in the area, when they came under attack," said Laroche in Afghanistan.
> 
> Politicians across Canada offering their condolences to the soldier's family and friends.
> 
> "Our Canadian Forces are making immense sacrifices," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in an official statement. "Cpl. Starker made the ultimate sacrifice, and his efforts will remain a source of pride for all Canadians."
> 
> Premier Ed Stelmach's thoughts also went out to the family Starker leaves behind.
> 
> "The soldier is a Calgarian and this is again part of the sacrifice of human life in Afghanistan," Stelmach said at a news conference Wednesday in Calgary. "We support them . . . it's a difficult task but, again, (it's a) human sacrifice and I hope we don't forget that."
> 
> The killing of a soldier by enemy fire has become a rare event in Afghanistan, where roadside bombs and mines have killed the majority of fallen Canadians.
> 
> Cpl. Nathan Hornburg of Calgary died in a mortar attack on Sept. 24, 2007 -- the last combat casualty that did not involve a roadside bomb.
> 
> The mission has also claimed the lives of Calgarians Capt. Nichola Goddard, 26, and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, 22.



with files from Canwest News Service and Michelle Lang, Calgary Herald

smcginnis@theherald.canwest.com


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=260d75b0-b9f8-4e19-9a36-235dc2a5247f

EMS staff in shock over loss
Starker 'never hesitated to help people'
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008



> Calgary EMS staff have added a strip of black ribbon underneath the yellow ribbon pins they wear to support soldiers overseas Tuesday -- a move to honour a fellow paramedic killed in action in Afghanistan.
> 
> Cpl. Michael Starker, a Calgary paramedic and member of the 15 Field Ambulance unit, died after he was shot during an ambush while on foot patrol in an attack that injured a fellow soldier.
> 
> Flags outside Calgary EMS headquarters were lowered to half-mast as staff reeled from the news they had lost one of their own.
> 
> "He never hesitated to help people and, indeed, he was doing just that in Afghanistan," Chief Tom Sampson said at an emotional news conference.
> 
> "I think he went to help there. Such a shame that he should die while trying to help like that."
> 
> Unlike the Calgary Police Service and the city's fire department, Calgary EMS had not seen a death in the line of duty until Starker.
> 
> "It's not a membership we wanted to join," EMS chaplain John Hein said.
> 
> Those who worked closely with Starker, 36, weren't on shift on Tuesday as news filtered back to Calgary from overseas. His platoon is due back at work today.
> 
> "Which, I'm sure, will be a challenging day for them," CUPE Local 3421 president Bruce Robb said.
> 
> Starker joined Calgary EMS in June 2005 and worked as an emergency medical technician before graduating as a paramedic in 2007.
> 
> He had also served with the Canadian Armed Forces a decade ago, Sampson said.
> 
> He left for Afghanistan in December for one last tour.
> 
> An photo of him and fellow Calgary paramedic Travis Lanoway, captured days before they both were sent overseas, hangs in the hallway of EMS headquarters.
> 
> On Tuesday, a flower and flag had been set up near the image of the two men smiling, standing next to an ambulance.
> 
> Sampson said he heard, indirectly, that Lanoway is interested in being involved in bringing Starker back to Calgary.
> 
> The loss is significant not only to EMS, but the city and the entire community, Sampson said.
> 
> "It touches every Calgarian because he was there when you dialed 911," Sampson said, breaking down.
> 
> "And he was there for the people in Afghanistan."
> 
> Chaplain Hein anticipates Starker's fellow medics will be grieving for the compassionate man.
> 
> Sampson added, "When people leave us before their time, and it is in our opinion, the sun went down while it's still day."



grichards@theherald.canwest.com


----------



## old medic

Fallen soldier begins final journey home.

Canadian corporal on goodwill patrol killed in ambush by Taliban
May 07, 2008 04:45 PM
Murray Brewster
The Canadian Press


> KANDAHAR–A Canadian medic killed in a vicious Taliban ambush was celebrated today as a man who had dedicated his “life to protecting and rescuing” those in need.
> 
> Cpl. Michael Starker, the 83rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, began his final journey home with a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield that no matter how many times it has been performed never loses its poignancy.
> 
> The last whisps of a sandstorm blew across the tarmac in the gathering dusk, as a Bison armoured vehicle carried Starker’s flag-wrapped coffin to edge of a silent phalanx of fellow soldiers.
> 
> Starker, 36, of Calgary, was killed yesterday.
> 
> He was gunned down in an ambush by insurgents in the Pashmul region of Zhari district, about 25 kilometres outside the city but died later in hospital.
> 
> Starker didn’t have to be there, Maj. Pierre Bergeron reflected.
> 
> “Cpl. Starker was a good man,” he said.
> 
> “He was also a reservist who could have stayed in Canada and continued working as a paramedic, rather he made a choice. He chose to come to Afghanistan and serve and do something to make this world a better place.”
> 
> Another soldier wounded with Starker, sat quietly in a wheelchair as eight fellow medics shouldered the coffin into the belly of a Hercules transport for the flight back to Canada.
> 
> A man of humble nature, with charisma, a gift for humour and the ``ability to hang in there until he had made you smile or laugh,” was how the deputy Canadian padre Maj. Jim Short described Starker.
> 
> He says the 36-year-old’s “potent skills” as a paramedic instilled confidence in those who knew him and served with him.
> 
> Bergeron invoked passages from the poem In Flanders Fields, written over 90 years ago during the First World War by an army surgeon, Lt.-Col. John McCrae.
> 
> “We are the dead; short days ago we lived, felt dawn and watched the sunset glow,” Bergeron said, his voice cascading from a loudspeaker across the silent desert as the last light of this day flickered away.
> 
> The Canadian army is investigating the circumstances surrounding the ambush, which took place in a sector that has been repeatedly clearled of insurgents over the last two years.
> 
> Few details have been provided.
> 
> Although ambushes happen routinely, it’s nearly 20 months since a Canadian soldier died as the result of direct gun battle with insurgents. The Taliban have preferred to use improvised explosives or roadside bombs to kill and maim, not only soldiers, but civilians as well.
> 
> Starker was part of a Civil-Military Co-operation team that goes village to village talking with local Afghans and bringing their concerns back to Canadian commanders.
> 
> It was that spirit Bergeron summoned as thousands of NATO troops — Canadian, British, American, Romanian Dutch — saluted the coffin as it was marched slowly down the tarmac to a piper’s lament.
> 
> “As Michael passes before us one last time, it is with respect and dignity that we honour his life and his dedication to protecting and rescuing those in need,” said the senior padre.
> 
> Starker was married but had no children.


----------



## old medic

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080508/ambush_afghan_080508/20080508?hub=World
Canadian Press Article. 

Afghan ambush unfolded within sight of forward base

Updated Thu. May. 8 2008 11:46 AM ET

The Canadian Press



> KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The ambush that took the life of Sgt. Michael Starker unfolded within sight of a heavily defended Canadian forward operating base, much to the horror and dismay of his fellow soldiers and a long-time friend.
> 
> Master Cpl. Fabio Lacentra, 40, had known Starker for 10 years, serving with him both in the reserves and as emergency medical technicians in Calgary.
> 
> The sharp crackle of the fierce exchange was the first indication to troops at Masum Ghar, about 35 kilometres west of Kandahar, that something was up. "We could see it from where we were; we could see the firefight going on," said Lacentra, a medic with the 15th Field Ambulance evacuation platoon.
> 
> He was standing in the command post when the base commander ran out and mounted one of the bastion's walls to get a view of what was going on.
> 
> "You could see his concern," Lacentra recalled in an interview Thursday with The Canadian Press.
> 
> The radio began to chatter.
> 
> There were wounded.
> 
> How bad?
> 
> When the answer came back, Lacentra turned to the soldiers beside him.
> 
> "I said: 'You know a gunshot wound is never a good thing."'
> 
> His training as an ambulance technician had kicked in.
> 
> "We knew it was Canadians and I guess I was, without even consciously doing it, was trying to prepare these guys. I just said that kind of gunshot wound doesn't end up with a good result."
> 
> At the time, Lacentra didn't know it was his friend, the guy with whom he had worked out at the gym every day during training in Edmonton, the guy whom he clearly looked up to as a paramedic, a soldier and a person of "amazing character and strength."
> 
> Starker, 36, was evacuated by helicopter to the NATO military hospital at Kandahar Airfield along with a second unidentified soldier, who was also wounded. Doctors pronounced Starker dead at the Role 3 treatment centre.
> 
> The ambush on Tuesday, the first shooting death of a Canadian soldier in direct combat with the enemy in almost 20 months, is still under investigation by military police.
> 
> It was very quiet that evening in the vehicle when Lacentra drove with other troops back to the airfield, where the majority of Canada's 2,500 troops in Afghanistan are stationed.
> 
> Once in a while, the cheerful Italian-immigrant to Canada, who possesses an easy smile, likes to sing in the car.
> 
> "So when we got just close to KAF actually one of the guys said: 'Hey Fabio why don't you sing us a song."'
> 
> He did, but his heart was only in it for a few minutes.
> 
> His mind was on Starker.
> 
> "I kind of knew it was him, but I hoped it was somebody else. Right? That's not a good thing to say," he added with tears beginning in the corners of his eyes.
> 
> "I didn't believe it was him because I know how well trained Mike is. He's an ex-sniper. I just kept thinking it was someone else because there was no way Mike would get shot that way."
> 
> Back inside the wire, he heard the news from a nurse at the Role 3 hospital.
> 
> It struck like a bolt of lightning.
> 
> He had seen Starker only last Saturday when they spent four hours together unloading medical supplies.
> 
> Since his friend's death, Lacentra has spent a lot of time thinking about the ambulance calls the two of them occasionally went on together in Calgary.
> 
> There was the time Lacentra had been doing his practicum and wanted to impress both his instructor and Starker, who was driving, by inserting an intravenous line in patient as they were rolling back to hospital. They hit a bump and Lacentra missed.
> 
> "And I looked up and said 'Thanks' and he's looking at me. I pictured it the other day, I could see him. He had his face . . . turned looking at me with a crook smile."
> 
> Lacentra got the lesson: Don't be cocky.
> 
> "That was the kind of thing he'd do; he wouldn't tell you, don't do this and he wouldn't purposely try to make you fail, but when it did happen, just the look, you could see it on his face. I should have known better."
> 
> Starker, a reservist and ex-paratrooper, had personal reasons for returning to Afghanistan, Lacentra said.
> 
> "He didn't have to be here, but he wanted to serve," he said.
> 
> Lacentra, who served as a peacekeeper in 1992 as the Balkans was coming apart at the seams, is by no means naive about the risks.
> 
> But the sudden brutality of the ambush that killed his friend is hard to reconcile with the faces of grateful, dirt poor Afghans who cheer on the Canadians when they pass.
> 
> "Watching the firefight changed my perspective" about the country, he said. "It made things more real."
> 
> "You see lots of kids, waving at you; happy and smiling; even adults. And you don't feel there's any real danger. You know what's happened. You hear about some of the stuff that's happened, but you don't feel it at that moment in time."


----------



## Nfld Sapper

> KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The ambush that took the life of *Sgt. Michael Starker * unfolded within sight of a heavily defended Canadian forward operating base, much to the horror and dismay of his fellow soldiers and a long-time friend.



Anyone else notice this?


----------



## Nfld Sapper

DND Media Advisory

Media Advisory
Fallen soldier returning home
MA 08-006 - May 8, 2008

OTTAWA, Ont. — Our fallen soldier, Corporal Michael Gunter Starker, a member of 15 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, is scheduled to return home to Canada Friday, May 9, 2008. Corporal Starker was a reservist from Calgary, Alberta. 

Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. 

When: Friday, May 9, 2008, 2:00 p.m. 

What: At the wishes of the family, there will be no media permitted on the tarmac and no interviews will be given. 

Present to pay their respects will be the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and other dignitaries. 

Corporal Starker was killed at approximately 11:45 a.m., May 6, 2008, when the patrol he was with came under fire. 

-30- 

Note to the Editor/News Director: 

Interested media must contact Capt. Nicole Meszaros, 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Public Affairs Officer, who can be reached at (613) 392-2811 ext. 2041, mobile (613) 391-5233 or at: meszaros.nl@forces.gc.ca.
Inquiries regarding the deceased or the funeral ceremony may be addressed to Captain Peter Fuerbringer, 41 Canadian Brigade Group Public Affairs Officer (403) 921-7525 or at Fuerbringer.pd@forces.gc.ca

For all other queries, please contact the Media Liaison Office at (866) 377-0811.

For flight information, contact the Air Passenger Terminal at 1-800-487-1186.


----------



## old medic

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080509/medic_afghanistan_080509/20080509?hub=Canada

Body of medic returns Friday from Afghanistan

Updated Fri. May. 9 2008 8:29 AM ET

The Canadian Press



> CFB TRENTON -- Paramedics and the family of the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan will gather at CFB Trenton on Friday afternoon.
> 
> Cpl. Michael Starker was a Calgary-based medic and paramedics from across the region are expected to attend the repatriation ceremony along with Defence Minister Peter Mackay. The 36-year-old reservist was the 83rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan. He died Tuesday in southern Afghanistan when his patrol came under fire during an ambush.
> 
> Starker is survived by his wife Nicole, his parents Gunther and Helen and sister Carolyn.
> 
> His family issued a statement saying: "Mike loved being a paramedic with Calgary EMS and loved being a soldier in the Canadian Forces, especially his time in the Canadian Airborne Regiment."
> 
> "Michael died doing what he loved. In his heart, he was a soldier and in his blood, a paramedic. But soldiering wasn't the only thing that Mike gave his heart to. He gave his heart and soul to his wife, parents, family and friends."
> 
> It was Starker's second tour of Afghanistan and he was eager to go last February.
> 
> Lt.-Col. Roger Scott, commanding officer of 15 Field Ambulance, says Starker had been putting his name in for just about every deployment opportunity that had come up in the past few years and so when the people did get chosen he was really happy to be going.
> 
> In Calgary, the Canadian and regimental flag outside the office of 15 Field Ambulance is hanging at half mast.


----------



## old medic

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2008/05/08/5512031.html
From Yesterday's Calgary Sun

Ontario paramedics to pay respects to fallen Calgary soldier
UPDATED: 2008-05-08 17:23:40 MST
By DOUG McINTYRE, Sun Media



> Ambulances will line the Highway of Heroes tomorrow as grieving family members of a Calgary reservist killed in Afghanistan watch their fallen loved one returned to Canadian soil.
> 
> The repatriation ceremony, noon Calgary time at CFB Trenton, Ont., comes three days after full-time paramedic Cpl. Michael Starker, 36, was slain by Taliban insurgents while on patrol east of Kandahar.
> 
> Starker will be the second Afghanistan casualty from Calgary to officially travel the Highway of Heroes since the stretch of Hwy. 401 from Trenton to Toronto was renamed by the Ontario government.
> 
> The sombre procession will provide a poignant salute to Starker’s career as a paramedic, with EMS personnel from eastern Ontario standing on guard at overpasses along the full length of the 170-km route.
> 
> “They’re going all out to show support — it makes you proud to be a Canadian,” said Capt. Nicole Meszaros, public affairs officer with 8 Wing/CFB Trenton.
> 
> 
> “The emergency services people of eastern Ontario are also going to line the road from the base to the 401 with 16 ambulances.”
> 
> Such a stirring tribute strongly resonates with Calgary EMS Chief Tom Sampson, who flew to Toronto today.
> 
> “I’m overwhelmed by the level of support by the EMS right across Canada,” he said.
> 
> Defence Minister Peter MacKay will be on the tarmac tomorrow to pay respects to Starker, a medic with Edmonton-based 15 Field Ambulance Regiment and a former Canadian Airborne paratrooper.
> 
> EMS is working with the military and Starker’s family to prepare a public funeral in Calgary, said Sampson.
> 
> In the meantime, a memorial and book of condolences has been set up in the atrium of city hall.
> 
> Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada, met with some of Starker’s military and paramedic colleagues today to offer his respects.
> 
> “He most certainly represents the best that Canada offers,” said Samad, adding Starker’s role as a medic is one highly-prized by Afghans.
> 
> “His skills are needed in Afghanistan — we’re touched and saddened by this loss and the other losses.”
> 
> Starker is the fourth Calgarian and 83rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
> 
> Another local fallen soldier, 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Hornburg, last September became the first Canadian casualty of the Afghanistan mission to officially travel the Highway of Heroes.



— with files by Bill Kaufmann


----------



## Civvymedic

We have planned a very large turnout of Paramedics along the 401 Highway for this afternoon. MP Bev Oda has provided us many flags,Support our troops ribbons etc.

The road between Trenton and the 401 should be completely covered with Paramedics and EMS vehicles.

There will be 2 Toronto EMS units in the procession. 1 Ambulance driven by a Toronto Paramedic and Reservist to represent the respect of Canadian Paramedics and a white SUV with the chief of Calgary EMS.

DND public affairs has been extremely helpful in the planning and updates of all this.

Incredible.

Much respect for everyone involved


----------



## ENGINEERS WIFE

Civvymedic,  I will be at the Vic Park overpass and I am bringing extra flags because I thought there will be lots more EMS and I'm sure they will want to borrow one.  See everyone out there.


----------



## Civvymedic

That should be a good spot.

I will be at the Harwood ave. Overpass.Most off duty Durham medics have been told to meet there. We should, taking into account operational requirements have every bridge in Durham covered.


----------



## old medic

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/09/soldier-trenton.html

Fallen Calgary soldier returns home
Last Updated: Friday, May 9, 2008 | 3:52 PM ET



> The body of a Calgary soldier killed in southern Afghanistan returned to Canada on Friday.
> 
> A military plane carrying the remains of Cpl. Michael Starker touched down at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario. As bagpipes played, soldiers in uniform carried Starker's flag-draped casket out of the plane and into a hearse.
> 
> Starker, 36, was ambushed and killed Tuesday while conducting a foot patrol in the Pashmul region, outside Kandahar City. Another Canadian soldier was injured in the attack, but is expected to recover.
> 
> Starker was a medic and reservist with the Alberta-based 15 Field Ambulance and had been providing medical assistance to his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan since December. It was his second tour of duty in the wartorn country.
> 
> Born and raised in Calgary, Starker worked as a paramedic in the city, where he lived with his wife, Nicole.
> 
> He was the 83rd Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002.


----------



## old medic

http://torontosun.com/News/Canada/2008/05/10/5525926-sun.html
Toronto Sun

Fallen paramedic saluted
CFB Trenton pays tribute to Afghan veteran

By CAITLIN DEN BOER AND LUKE HENDRY, SUN MEDIA

CFB TRENTON -- A "brotherhood" of paramedics dedicated to caring for others tended to one of its own here yesterday.



> Paramedics from across southern, central, and eastern Ontario gathered here yesterday to honour the memory of Cpl. Michael Gunter Starker.
> 
> The 36-year-old married Calgary paramedic was a reservist medic with Edmonton's 15th Field Ambulance unit. He was killed May 6 in combat in Afghanistan, becoming the 83rd soldier and 84th Canadian killed there since 2002.
> 
> As at past repatriations, members of Hastings-Quinte Emergency Medical Services stood at the base and along local roads to provide a quiet show of solidarity.
> 
> Joanna Pollock of Calgary Emergency Medical Services worked for about a year and a half with Starker.
> 
> "I'm just here to show my support," said Pollock, who had been visiting friends in Ottawa when she learned Starker had been killed.
> 
> Yesterday, she attached a large poster of Starker to an ambulance on a Trenton bridge. The poster showed Starker wearing his desert combat fatigues while standing next to an ambulance.
> 
> It made for an eerie sight. As Starker's hearse passed by a row of paramedics standing on the road, his image stared out from the poster.
> 
> "I think everyone of us would be honoured to see the kind of support that is here today," said Pollock when asked what her colleague would have thought of the EMS presence.
> 
> "It's been hard in Calgary, but everyone is really appreciative of the support out here. It's great."
> 
> Off-duty paramedics and vehicles from Northumberland County to the Leeds-Grenville area would stand with their vehicles at every major intersection between the base and Highway 401, the so-called Highway of Heroes.
> 
> Roger Litwiller of the Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Association has co-ordinated past paramedic presence at repatriations. He said given Starker's trade there was interest from paramedics who aren't based along Highway 401.
> 
> "It's always hard to leave someone in your own profession, and unfortunately nationally we lose at least one paramedic a year in line-of-duty deaths. People don't realize that," said Litwiller.
> 
> "It's not something as a paramedic you think about happening to yourself, but when it does happen to a brother or a sister it hits home."
> 
> Though not involved directly in combat, Canadian Forces medics are "very much in harm's way," said Litwiller.
> 
> Four Hastings-Quinte EMS staff blocked traffic along Highway 2 at the base as Starker's hearse began its trip to Toronto, where post-mortem examinations are conducted on all overseas casualties.
> 
> Brighton paramedic Troy Ward works in Belleville and said Starker's death has been discussed around the EMS base, but not at great length.
> 
> "It's more of an internal thought," he said. "You kind of sit and have your own little moment of bereavement about it, but you talk about it only briefly."
> 
> Mark Schjerning, a paramedic from Sydenham north of Kingston, is based in Belleville with H-Q EMS. He was at a provincial EMS conference in Toronto when word of Starker's death was received.
> 
> A minute of silence was held, he said, and paramedics began talking about how they might approach the repatriation.
> 
> He described the field as being a closely knit "brotherhood."
> 
> Plans to attend the repatriation continued until after midnight Thursday night at the local EMS office, he said.
> 
> "This gentleman volunteered his time to go and help others, and unfortunately he paid the biggest sacrifice and the ultimate price," said Dave Valdes, a Trenton-based paramedic who lives in Brighton.
> 
> He and Schjerning said paramedics are a relatively new emergency service, and are not simply ambulance drivers.
> 
> Schjerning said they continue to have a somewhat "unsung" status compared to firefighters and police, but that their public profile is now starting to increase.
> 
> "You do the job because you enjoy it," added Ward.


----------



## old medic

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/durham/article/98687

Paramedics proud to honour fallen soldier
Durham EMS travelled to Trenton to show support
Sat May 10 2008
By Stephanie Swinson



> DURHAM -- “It’s the least we could do,” said Dave Mokedanz of Durham EMS,
> as he followed behind other emergency vehicles in the procession from Trenton Air Base.
> 
> Durham EMS was just one of many paramedic services to travel to Trenton on
> Friday to pay respects to one of their own.
> 
> Cpl. Michael Starker was killed Tuesday when a Canadian foot patrol was ambushed
> in Zharey district outside of Kandahar.
> 
> Cpl. Starker was not only a reservist but also a paramedic for the City of Calgary.
> 
> 25 vehicles lined the bridge leading to the Highway of Heroes as the procession from the
> repatriation ceremony at Trenton Air Base passed by en route to Toronto.
> 
> In total, 11 different emergency medical services from across the province were represented,
> including a member of Calgary EMS.
> 
> Joanna Pollock was in the Ottawa area when she heard that her co-worker had been killed.
> 
> “It definitely hits home,” Ms. Pollock said. “Back in Calgary, there’s a lot of people who are really
> broken up about it. We all really appreciate the show of support.”
> 
> As the procession passed through Durham region, it was clear the support from paramedics wasn’t just felt in Trenton.
> 
> There was an ambulance at almost every bridge over Hwy 401.
> 
> Advanced care paramedic Murray Martin waited at the Harwood Avenue overpass.
> 
> “We won’t forget,” Mr. Martin said. “We’re here to honour him.”
> 
> Mr. Mokedanz left the procession as it drove past Whites Road in Pickering.
> 
> It was important for him to have Durham EMS escort Cpl. Starker through Durham region, he said.
> 
> “Toronto will take care of him now,” Mr. Mokedanz said as he began to exit the highway. “We just wanted to make sure we could properly show support to the family of Cpl. Starker while they’re driving through.”



VIDEO LINK
http://www.mediamash.ca/media/3806/Paramedics_Pay_Respects_to_Fallen_Soldier/


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=0abde548-dbf0-4d6a-b577-980b7974df44#

Wife's grace masks her pain
Valerie Fortney, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, May 10, 2008



> She stands straight, her head held high, one hand clutching a single, perfect rose. Dark sunglasses don't shield her eyes, a courageous gesture for someone who knows millions are watching her.
> 
> The only giveaway to Nicole Starker's unfathomable grief is her lower lip that quivers with such ferocity at times it appears as though she is murmuring to herself.
> 
> Other than this one involuntary physical response, the pretty woman widowed far too young gives an exemplary lesson in grace under unimaginable pressure.
> 
> She shows the strength of character her friends cite as one of her many positive qualities.
> 
> It must seem all too surreal on Friday, then, as she stands under a makeshift white tent, positioned at the front of a group of her and her husband's family, watching a military plane unload a flag-draped casket containing the body of
> Cpl. Michael Starker, the 83rd Canadian and fourth Calgary soldier to die in Afghanistan.
> 
> On Tuesday morning, Nicole, a publicist for E! Network National, was walking into her office at the Global TV offices in Calgary. One of her colleagues yelled out, "Have a great day, Nicole!" and she responded in kind.
> 
> She was excitedly marking down the days until she'd meet her husband Michael in Africa, the dream-of-a-lifetime trip to celebrate his upcoming leave from duty in Afghanistan.
> 
> Less than an hour later, Nicole would be escorted into the office of a colleague who was away on a business trip. The door would close, and she would get the devastating news from a military team that included a chaplain, that her paramedic-reservist husband was killed that day while on a community outreach mission.
> 
> Barely 72 hours later, she and Michael's closest loved ones are in Trenton, Ont., a community two hours east of Toronto, where the biggest employers are Quaker Oats, Nestle and Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
> 
> At noon Calgary time, the heartbreaking ritual known in military-speak as the "repatriation ceremony" for Michael's body begins.
> 
> Thanks to my colleagues at Global TV (the Herald, Global and E! Entertainment Network are owned by parent company Canwest Global Communications), I am able to watch the entire ceremony free of commercial breaks and cutaways to other local lunchtime news.
> 
> It's a hectic scene in the newsroom, as people working on the noon show rush back and forth, and one TV monitor shows live footage of firefighters rescuing stranded workers from the top of Bankers Hall (yet another reminder of everyday heroics).
> 
> Still, it's easy to blot out all distractions thanks to the moving events unfolding live from Trenton.
> 
> White-haired veterans with chests full of medals; middle-aged couples dressed head-to-toe in red and waving large Canadian flags; and moms with their tots all mingle on the other side of the flag-dotted barbed-wire fence that overlooks the drama.
> 
> Inside, a procession of military personnel wearing a wide variety of uniforms files into position as a lone bagpiper plays. Nicole stands alone, her relatives a few steps behind her, the women each holding a single rose.
> 
> A woman dressed in black steps forward and escorts Nicole to the back of the black hearse in which the casket has been gently set by the eight young, uniformed, white-gloved pallbearers. She says her goodbyes, places the rose on the casket, then turns away to weep as a man puts his right arm around her shoulder.
> 
> A chaplain gives her a hug, and she shows her courage once again, offering him a warm smile.
> 
> If there is any comfort at all to be had in a time of such great sorrow, it is that others, near and far, are feeling the loss on this day.
> 
> While I watch the live feed of the ceremony in the Global newsroom, Nicole's colleagues are viewing it on another television downstairs. Afterwards, one colleague, who had earlier agreed to make a few comments, is too overwhelmed. "It's too tough, too raw right now," he says, acknowledging that the mood among her closest work friends is one of deep sadness.
> 
> At City Hall, paramedic Brent Thorkelson stands guard beside a condolence book that is already close to full.
> 
> Thorkelson, a friend of fellow paramedic Michael Starker, lets me thumb through the book, which has page upon page of expressions from the heart: "This is a great loss to the city"; "thank you for your love of your country and your love for all mankind"; "too young and too soon."
> 
> One note jumps out from the rest: "As I said goodbye to my children this morning, I said 'Thank you, Michael,' for letting them grow up in a safer world."
> 
> It is at once a very private and public grief. While those who knew and loved Michael Starker are feeling it most, there are thousands willing to help shoulder at least some of the burden for the loss of a true hero.



vfortney@theherald.canwest.com


----------



## MedTechStudent

To be a full time paramedic, and turn around and join the CF Reserves, is an amazing thing to do.  This man went over when he did not have to, served his country not because the government printed his paychecks, but because of his patriotism and love for country.  Truly an amazing soldier I'm in awe.

Rest In Peace Cpl.


----------



## old medic

Always a soldier
Cpl. Michael Starker was a born soldier, a true leader and driven by his duty to serve others
Sarah McGinnis and Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008



> The staccato sound of rapid shots firing pierced the midday air as Taliban forces ambushed a cluster of Canadian soldiers.
> 
> At the heavily defended Canadian operating base more than a kilometre away, the exchange of gunfire crackled and radios buzzed with calls for support.
> 
> Master Cpl. Fabio Lacentra helplessly watched the dust and smoke rising from the scene.
> 
> Although he couldn't pick out individuals on the ground, Lacentra had a sense that his old friend, Cpl. Mike Starker, was in trouble.
> 
> A member of the 15 Field Ambulance reserve unit, Mike Starker volunteered for every available posting to serve in the war in Afghanistan.
> 
> He offered to serve as a medic or in the infantry. He just wanted to serve, in some way.
> 
> Starker, 36, had just bought a new house with his wife Nicole and the couple were preparing to start a family when the letter that he had waited two years to receive finally arrived.
> 
> The Calgary paramedic, who was once an elite soldier, had been selected for deployment in Afghanistan.
> 
> It was now his time.
> 
> Two years ago, Starker added his thoughts to an online tribute to another soldier, Sgt. Vaughn Ingram , killed in Afghanistan.
> 
> "Vaughn you will be missed . . . thank you for the great memories in the time we served together . . . 'Jambo'. . . Rest in Peace brother," he wrote, signing simply Mike Starker (Calgary, AB).
> 
> Two other members of Starker's former unit -- the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry -- died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on Aug. 4, 2006.
> 
> Starker left the forces years earlier, after his Canadian Airborne Regiment was disbanded in 1995 and he was sent back to the infantry.
> 
> But he never let go of his military past, wearing his airborne shirt around the house, drinking coffee from a unit mug.
> 
> And the continuing loss of his military brothers in Afghanistan had a profound effect on him.
> 
> See SOLDIER, Page B2
> 
> "I think he feels like he should have been there to be with them," said Bob McGonigal, of Windsor, Ont. whose son was one of Starker's best friends.
> 
> Rob Jabs, a close friend and fellow paramedic talked to Starker at length about his decision to deploy, telling him he'd already done his time.
> 
> But Starker was always a soldier first.
> 
> "This was a guy forged in the fires of combat. He felt an obligation and a sense of duty," Jabs said.
> 
> And now, as a paramedic with Calgary EMS, Starker felt he had the skills to help save his friends' lives should the worst happen -- even if he had to put his own life on hold to do it.
> 
> "They talked about trying to have kids before. Then, when this came up, they said we'll hold off until he gets back," said Ray Seguin, Starker's brother-in-law.
> 
> "This was supposed to be his last tour."
> 
> At work with Calgary EMS, Starker always had his uniform pressed and his boots shined.
> 
> His tattoos -- ink images up both arms -- were covered by navy blue shirts with cuffs coming down to his wrists, even in the sweltering heat of summer.
> 
> He wanted his patients to be comfortable and worried someone would be scared by the tattoos.
> 
> There was a respect for his profession as a paramedic and for the patients he treated, Jabs said.
> 
> Starker may have been a hardened soldier, "but you could put him in the back of a truck with a scared grandma and he could show such compassion and sensitivity to those who needed it," he said.
> 
> After leaving his regular forces military career, Starker tried his hand as a welder, but found it wasn't, in his words, stressful enough.
> 
> He then entered the EMS field, working as an emergency medical technician in Kananaskis Country where he met Jabs in 2004.
> 
> Essentially attached at the hip during shifts that stretched up to 48 hours, they should have fought like cats and dogs, Jabs said.
> 
> Instead, he looked forward to the work because he could spend time with Starker.
> 
> When Starker decided to become a paramedic, he approached it with the same drive he had for everything else. He raced through a year-long university-level biology course in one month, scoring 90 per cent for his final grade.
> 
> Despite his accomplishments, Starker remained humble.
> 
> "It would always be me or his other friends that bragged for him," Jabs said.
> 
> As Tracy Martell stared at the television screen while a newscaster described the latest Canadian casualty, she realized it was the same student who once sat in front of her in math at Henry Wise Wood High School.
> 
> Martell wasn't surprised to hear Starker had pursued a career in the military.
> 
> "He wore combat boots and his cadet gear to school sometimes. It was just who he was," she said.
> 
> After graduating high school in 1990, Starker made a bee line for the Canadian Armed Forces. He was 18 when he enlisted.
> 
> The young man with a mischievous smile soon headed off to battle school where he met fellow soldier Bob McGonigal. The two bonded for life.
> 
> They were both stationed in Ontario with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and Starker would spend his weekend passes with McGonigal's family in Windsor.
> 
> Starker soon found a second home in the clan that already included two sons and a daughter.
> 
> "We called him our third son," said Bob McGonigal's father, who shares the same name.
> 
> It was through this second family that Starker encountered his future bride.
> 
> His buddy's sister was coming to CFB Petawawa for a visit and brought her friend Nicole along for the ride.
> 
> Since Starker and McGonigal were almost inseparable, the meeting was inevitable.
> 
> Still, Starker wasn't exactly the "preppy" guy Nicole usually went for, said Seguin, Nicole's brother.
> 
> "Mike was definitely a Calgary boy. I remember the first day I met him -- the cowboy boots, the big belt buckle, the big 4 x 4 with the whipper antennas," he said of the introduction 15 years ago -- about five years before the couple wed.
> 
> "I liked him from the moment I met him."
> 
> Starker wasn't walking into the most treacherous territory in Afghanistan when he was ambushed last week.
> 
> The Pashmul region, about 35 kilometres from Kandahar, had been the scene of fierce battles, including guerrilla-style attacks in the fall of 2006. But officials had seen changes recently as the locals returned.
> 
> "We see more farmers. We have seen people interacting with us everyday," said Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche, commanding general of Task Force Afghanistan.
> 
> Starker and the other Canadians soldiers were on a civil-military co-operation patrol with the Afghan National Security Forces.
> 
> Like cops walking the beat, they were on foot talking with locals about security and social concerns.
> 
> At 11:45 a.m. local time Tuesday, enemy fire broke out. The details of the ambush are slow to emerge but Starker was hit in the exchange and another soldier injured.
> 
> Back in Calgary, it was still early morning when a Blackberry buzzed.
> 
> Col. Art Wriedt answered it with dread.
> 
> As commander of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, Wriedt is the first local military official to receive a call if a Calgary soldier is killed in action.
> 
> "I'd be lying if I said I didn't go to bed every night and hope that Blackberry doesn't go off," said Wriedt. "I pray to God that we don't take casualties."
> 
> Wriedt's prayers weren't answered this time.
> 
> Cpl. Michael Starker had just been killed in action, a distant voice explained.
> 
> His family needed to be notified.
> 
> As Starker's body was being flown back to Canada on Wednesday, grief started to ripple across the country.
> 
> On the Internet, groups dedicated to Starker were created and memorials began to fill with messages of loss and of thanks.
> 
> "Mike, you were born a leader and I am honoured to have known you," firefighter Brad Olsen wrote in an online book of condolences.
> 
> Facebook groups in memory of Cpl. Mike Starker flowed with messages of grief from comrades in Afghanistan unable to follow him home for the funeral, while clusters of flowers and homemade cards piled up in an impromptu memorial at Calgary EMS headquarters.
> 
> Sorrow is particularly profound at Station 26, the joint fire, police and ambulance detachment in Midnapore where Starker worked.
> 
> Olsen shared many late night chats with the paramedic even though they worked in different fields. He said "Mikey" was a real fixture at the station.
> 
> "There were some days we would come here and start our shift and Mikey was already cooking. That was unheard of."
> 
> What set him apart from others was that Starker never seemed to heed the unspoken rivalry between medics and fire fighters, said Olsen.
> 
> He would hang out with anyone up for a laugh. And when the practical joker was around hijinks ensued.
> 
> Anyone who left their food for more than five minutes would later regret it. Starker was known for dousing unattended meals with hot sauce and would wait, poker faced, for the inevitable result.
> 
> Olsen was still waiting for retribution from a prank he pulled on Starker, switching his beloved hard boiled eggs with raw ones, leaving the paramedic with a sticky mess instead of lunch.
> 
> "For the two years I've known him, I've never seen that guy have a bad day. He's always looking for a positive angle. He's like one of those guys you are drawn to. Pure positive energy," Olsen said.
> 
> "Knowing he's not coming back . . . it's surreal."
> 
> Jabs, who called Starker his best friend, found himself with the painful task of explaining to his four-year-old daughter why Uncle Mike wouldn't be coming back.
> 
> Uncle Mike had been killed, he said, while helping the people over in Afghanistan.
> 
> "She summed it up: Why would you hurt someone who's helping you? I could not, for the life of me, give her an answer," Jabs said, tears welling.
> 
> In a few weeks Starker was supposed to swap the dusty Afghan landscape for the waters off South Africa.
> 
> He was eagerly anticipating the leave that would marked the halfway point of his deployment.
> 
> He and his wife Nicole had planned the vacation of a lifetime.
> 
> Starker wanted to get in an underwater cage and have an up close look at a great white shark, he wrote in an e-mail to Bob McGonigal Sr.
> 
> Starker seemed less scared about those sorts of things now, he said.
> 
> "I just got the e-mail from him over there and I sent one back to him," said McGonigal, who is now preparing to fly from Windsor to Calgary for Starker's funeral.
> 
> "He probably never even got it."
> 
> On Friday , a sombre ceremony on the CFB Trenton tarmac marked Starker's return to Canada.
> 
> Awaiting his remains were his wife, parents, sister and close friends.
> 
> Ambulances and emergency services personnel lined the road from the base to the Highway 401 to honour the fallen paramedic and soldier.
> 
> Funeral plans are still being made for Starker.
> 
> Jabs isn't sure what his friend would make of all the ceremony.
> 
> A humble, unassuming man, Starker was never one for the spotlight.
> 
> Jabs understands the national attention that comes from a soldier dying while serving his country but he wishes his friend was returning home safe as planned.
> 
> "I'd rather have my buddy come back in obscurity."



With files From Canwest News Service
smcginnis@theherald.canwest.com
grichards@theherald.canwest.com


----------



## old medic

http://www.660news.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20080513_012538_6648

Funeral for Corporal Michael Starker

May 12, 2008 - 11:00 pm
660News Staff



> Funeral plans have been made for a Calgary solider and EMS worker killed last week in Afghanistan.
> 
> Corporal Michael Starker will be laid to rest on Friday May 16th, at 2 p.m. at the Round-up Centre.
> 
> The ceremony will be open to the public.
> 
> The family has also requested that any donations in Corporal Starker's honour - be made to the Poppy Fund or the Samaritans Purse.


----------



## old medic

http://emscc.ca/blog/     EMS Chiefs of Canada

A public funeral service for Calgary EMS paramedic Michael Starker will take place on Friday May 16, 2008 at 2:00 PM (Mountain Time). Cpl. Starker was killed in Afghanistan serving his country as a medic reservist with the Canadian Forces. The service will take place in Calgary, Alberta at the Calgary Stampede Grounds in the Roundup Centre Hall “D”. The funeral is expected to attract over 3,000 people including local, regional and national dignitaries as well as representatives from Canadian Forces, Emergency Medical Services and a variety of other emergency services personnel.

Government, emergency services and other organizational representatives are asked to confirm their attendance by contacting Petra Horning, Executive Assistant to Chief Tom Sampson at 403-813-7657 or 403-538-7607.

Calgary EMS has arranged for discounts at several area hotels and for airfare discounts at WestJet and Air Canada. For more information on these discounts see below:

Corporal Michael Starker Funeral Arrangements        

    * Date: Friday, May 16, 2008   
    * Time: 14:00   
    * Location: Stampede Roundup Centre Hall D      
    * Address: #100, 3705 35th Street NE

 EMS Contact Information

    * Name:  Petra Horning
    * Phone: (403)538-7605
    * Phone (cell):    (403)813-7657
    * Email:  Petra.Horning@calgary.ca


----------



## old medic

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Platt_Michael/2008/05/14/5561216-sun.php

 Wed, May 14, 2008
Widow says fallen soldier avoided limelight
UPDATED: 2008-05-14 02:53:27 MST
By MICHAEL PLATT



> Cpl. Michael Starker would have hated it, to be paraded through town and hailed as a war hero, with the entire nation looking on.
> 
> But then, as Nicole Starker explained, the Calgary paramedic killed last week in an Taliban ambush expected to come home from Afghanistan just as he went -- quietly, and alive.
> 
> "In his true fashion he said, 'Nothing is going to happen to me; there's nothing to worry about,' " said Nicole, speaking publicly for the first time since her husband's death on May 5.
> 
> The 35-year-old widow said she had talked with Michael about the danger if he volunteered to serve as a medic in the war zone, but she truly believed he'd return home to her, safe and sound.
> 
> "It's probably a conversation every spouse has with their significant other who goes over," said Nicole.
> 
> "I honestly just thought he was too good a guy for anything really to happen to him."
> 
> Starker was shot while on foot patrol not far from a Canadian military base, becoming the 83rd Canadian to die in Afghanistan.
> 
> Yesterday, Nicole and Michael's sister, Carolyn Straub, sat together in a Mewata Armoury chamber, surrounded by hardware-filled trophy cases from Calgary's military past, as well as a throng of reporters.
> 
> Both sister and wife agreed that the paramedic-turned-medic would have loathed the pomp, circumstance and national attention since his death -- in life, he preferred to stay coy about his military service.
> 
> "He was never boastful and really quiet and never bragged about going -- people often wouldn't know he was going unless they asked him straight out," said Nicole.
> 
> Starker's sister said the situation would have made her brother squirm.
> 
> "He was humble guy -- I think he'd be laughing his ass off right now, saying I don't know why you guys are making a big deal of this," said Straub.
> 
> "He'd be uncomfortable," added Nicole.
> 
> "He'd be very uncomfortable," said Straub.
> 
> On Friday afternoon, Starker will be honoured at a unique public funeral service saluting the 36-year-old's connection to both the military and Calgary EMS.
> 
> Following a public 2 p.m. service at the Roundup Centre, a procession will run from the Stampede Grounds to City Hall.
> 
> The paramedic's casket will be carried through Calgary by an ambulance, surrounded by a military escort and City of Calgary EMS comrades.
> 
> Straub said the ceremony is more than just a farewell to a fun-loving, gregarious man -- it's about saluting her brother's devotion to his country, and his drive to serve his nation.
> 
> "He died for his country, so it's nice to involve the country in a farewell, so they don't forget," she said.
> 
> Last Friday, a repatriation ceremony was held at CFB Trenton with Nicole and other relatives in attendance, marking Starker's return to Canadian soil.
> 
> Straub said her parents are taking his death very hard.
> 
> "It's really affected our family a lot -- my family is devastated beyond means," she said.
> 
> "No parent should have to bury their child."
> 
> Nicole said the loss of her husband hasn't changed her mind about the value of Canada's role in Afghanistan, and she still supports the mission.
> 
> "I support Canada as a peacekeeping nation and what happened to Mike hasn't changed that for me," said Nicole.
> 
> Nicole said her husband volunteered to serve, believing he could combine his training as a paramedic and infantry soldier to really make a difference for those fighting overseas.
> 
> "Mike truly was compassionate," said Nicole.
> 
> The young widow said Starker's funeral is keeping her occupied, and her mind is on the task at hand.
> 
> "Mike and I were pretty good team, and my job as part of the team now, is to get this thing done," she said.
> 
> Nicole said she's both looking forward to getting the funeral finished, and dreading the moment it is over.
> 
> "Yes, because this is a stressful and very emotional time and no, because I don't want to say goodbye."


----------



## old medic

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/05/15/5571741-sun.html

Thu, May 15, 2008
'Route of Valour' to follow funeral
UPDATED: 2008-05-15 02:14:56 MST
By DAVE DORMER



> Calgarians wishing to pay their respects to a local soldier killed in the line of duty are being encouraged to take to the streets.
> 
> A large procession along what's being called the "Route of Valour" is planned following tomorrow's funeral service for Cpl. Michael Starker, the Calgary paramedic killed while on patrol in Afghanistan last week.
> 
> Calgary's EMS Chief Tom Sampson, awed by the show of support along the Highway of Heroes in Ontario, hopes Calgarians will be on hand in large numbers for the tribute.
> 
> "I had the honour of going to Trenton and I was absolutely amazed -- in the hour and a half it took us to get from Trenton to Toronto, we went under probably 125 overpasses and on every one of them there were people," Sampson said.
> 
> "I'm hoping we can generate that same level because this was a native Calgarian."
> 
> Starker was the fourth Calgarian and 83rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
> 
> Following tomorrow's funeral service at the Roundup Centre, hundreds of uniformed members from the military and city emergency services will march from the Stampede grounds to city hall, a Calgary EMS ambulance carrying Starker's casket leading the way.
> 
> The march will end at city hall, but the funeral procession will continue to 16 Ave. From the Roundup Centre, the procession will head east on 13 Ave. to Olympic Way, north to 11 Ave., west to Macleod Tr., then to city hall.


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=3987394b-15e2-4636-8faf-9d358c2d3a97

Police prepare a route of valour for a fallen hero
Sarah McGinnis, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008

CALGARY - Calgary Herald 





> Calgary Police Services is planning to temporarily close some downtown streets on Friday shortly before a recessional march begins honouring Cpl. Michael Starker.
> 
> At around 3:30 p.m., a slow march complete with paramedics, police, firefighters and military members will help escourt Calgary's fallen soldier from his funeral towards his final resting place. The "route of valour" will begin at the northern entrance to the Roundup centre and travel north up 3rd Street SE to 11th Avenue.
> 
> The march will continue west on 11th Avenue to Macleod Trail where it turns and heads north to City Hall. While the official military and emergency workers march escourting Starker will conclude at City Hall, a motorcade will continue on as Starker and his close friends and family head to Queen's Park Cemetery for a private internment.
> 
> The motorcade will travel north on Macleod Trail from City Hall to 4th Avenue, where it turns west and drives on 4th Avenue to Centre Street. It will then progress north on Center Street to 16th avenue NW where the "route of valour" is set to end.
> 
> Calgary EMS is urging people to come out with flags to show their support for Starker, a Calgary reservist and paramedic killed in Afghanistan on May 6. "People should stand as close to the sidewalk as possible," said Staff Sgt. Brett Marklund, of the Calgary Police Service Traffic Unit. Police are also requesting that individuals standing along the march and motorcade route not hover at the corner of Macleod Trail and 7th Avenue SE as they would be standing near the LRT tracks.



Route Diagram located on link.


----------



## Civvymedic

Highway of Heroes through Durham last Friday.

RIP


----------



## Mike Baker

Thanks for the pictures, Civvymedic.

RIP Cpl. Starker  :cdnsalute:

Baker


----------



## Journeyman

Once again......why don't these pictures see the light of day through the main stream media?  

Thanks civ-med


----------



## WrenchBender

Any Calgary based members attending this afternoon ?
If so see you there.


WrenchBender


----------



## old medic

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=e2ff3651-b6c7-40df-be0a-6a624b76e3e4

Calgary prepares for funeral services for fallen paramedic
Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, May 16, 2008



> CALGARY - Calgarians will be waving flickering handheld paper flags this afternoon as they line the streets to honour a fallen Calgary soldier and paramedic.
> 
> The funeral for Cpl. Michael Starker is planned for 2 p.m. today at the Roundup Centre.
> 
> Anyone who wishes to pay their final respects to the 15 Field Ambulance member and Calgary EMS paramedic is called to form a "route of valour" along his final journey.


----------



## old medic

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080516/soldier_funeral_080516/20080516?hub=Canada

Mayor expects thousands to attend soldier's funeral

Updated Fri. May. 16 2008 11:47 AM ET

The Canadian Press



> CALGARY -- Calgary's mayor says thousands of people are expected to attend the funeral of Cpl. Mike Starker, a city paramedic and reservist who was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan May 6.
> 
> Mayor Dave Bronconnier says it will be a very tough day for Starker's family, but he says it will also be tough for the emergency medical services personnel who worked with him.
> 
> Tom Sampson, the chief of Calgary's emergency medical services, says members of the public who can't make it to the funeral at the city's Round-Up Centre should line the streets to pay tribute to Starker as the procession leaves the downtown facility.
> 
> Starker, 36, was a medic with Edmonton's 15th Field Ambulance and is the 83rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002.
> 
> Sampson says he was touched that people came out to pay tribute to Starker on the Highway of Heroes in Ontario when his body was returned to Canada, so hoped Calgarians could do the same.


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Funeral held for medic killed in Afghanistan
Updated Fri. May. 16 2008 6:38 PM ET

The Canadian Press

CALGARY -- Thousands turned out Friday to say farewell to a paramedic and reservist killed in Afghanistan with a service that mirrored his life -- quiet and dignified. 


His wife, Nicole Starker, and sister Carolyn Straub had joked with reporters earlier in the week that Cpl. Michael Starker would be embarrassed by all of the attention his death had generated. 


"I think he would be laughing his ass off right now saying, `I don't know why you guys are making such a big deal of this,' '' chuckled Straub. 


"He'd be uncomfortable,'' Nicole Starker agreed. "But on the other hand, had this been one of his buddies instead of him he would have said they absolutely deserve it, every bit of attention they're getting.'' 


Hundreds of uniformed friends and colleagues from EMS, the Canadian Forces and police departments across Alberta turned out at the Calgary Roundup Centre to make sure Starker received the attention he deserved. 


There were no eulogies in the 90-minute Catholic service, as the family decided to read the eulogies at a private service Thursday evening. 


Pictures of Starker, both as a member of the Canadian Forces and as a paramedic, were placed in the hallway leading into the salon, which had a seating capacity of 3,000. 


The entire event was simple -- there was no table of favourite photos or trophies. A screen at the front by the altar flipped through front page stories on his death from local newspapers. 


Starker, 36, was a reservist medic with Edmonton's 15th Field Ambulance unit and a former member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. 


He was killed May 6 during an ambush west of Kandahar City in Afghanistan, becoming the 83rd soldier and 84th Canadian killed there since 2002. 


Members of the 15th Field Ambulance acted as pallbearers, their heads held high and eyes straight ahead, carrying his coffin draped with the Canadian flag into the service. An insignia bearer carried Starker's headgear. 


"Michael was a good guy,'' said Father Robert Rocheleau, Nicole Starker's cousin, who delivered the homily. "He was a person of love. He would want us to recognize that the things that he did was because of his desire, because of the gifts that God had shared with him. 


"We can only imagine how many people's lives Michael has touched. Reaching out for them, caring for him. Each day he shared the gift of life.'' 


Rocheleau said he was fortunate to attend the wedding of Michael and Nicole back in 1997. He remembered when Nicole first brought her home to meet the family in Windsor, Ont., on Boxing Day. 


"He was shy, he was afraid, he was uncertain and rightly so because we weren't going to let him take our Nicole without making sure he was the right guy,'' Rocheleau said with a smile. "He spent the entire day with us experiencing a lot of teasing, a lot of jokes at his expense and the third degree and he took it all in quite well. The next time he came, Michael was glad there was a new boyfriend with another cousin on the scene.'' 


Rocheleau said Starker spent his life working to help others and acknowledged he was not one to look for the spotlight. 


"He was always wanting to be a better person. Michael enjoyed his family, his friends, his work, his colleagues. He enjoyed the opportunity to share and make our world a better place. I don't think Michael would enjoy such celebrity. 


"We must also remember all of Michael's colleagues in Afghanistan today who grieve with us. We offer them our support as they continue to do the work that has been entrusted to them.'' 







Nicole Starker, wife of Corporal Michael Starker, a medic who was killed in Afghanistan on May 6, attends his funeral in Calgary on Friday, May 15, 2008.(THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh)





Calgary paramedics embrace at the funeral of colleague Corporal Michael Starker, a medic who was killed in Afghanistan on May 6, Friday, May 15, 2008. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jeff McIntosh)


----------



## old medic

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate/B/20080516/recessionalfri?brand=generic&hub=&tf=CFCNPlus/generic/hubs/frontpage.html&cf=CFCNPlus/generic/hubs/frontpage.cfg&slug=recessionalfri&date=20080516&archive=CFCNPlus&ad_page_name=&nav=home&subnav=fullstory&site_cfcn=http://calgary.ctv.ca

Video Link on right " Sneha Kulkarni reports " 

Thousands pay their respects

calgary.ctv.ca

rre

POSTED AT 5:59 PM Friday, May 16



> As the casket carrying Corporal Michael Starker left the Round Up Centre, up to 3,000 people lined the streets to pay tribute to his sacrifice.
> 
> The Route of Valour was filled with people, of all ages, holding Canadian flags handed out by Calgary paramedics and police.
> 
> “I came here to pay my respects for a man who went to Afghanistan to make people’s lives better and to pay my respects for what he’s done for our country,” says Doug Cressman.
> 
> Some made it a family affair, taking the opportunity to teach the younger generation about the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers. Sandra Vanveen brought her daughters down to watch the recessional. “We made a poster for all the soldiers who died in Afghanistan and all the other places who are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of the world,” says eight-year-old Natasha Vanveen.
> 
> Corporal Starker's military comrades marched through the streets as did fellow paramedics.
> 
> The Calgary Fire Department used two of its aerial truck to create an arch in front of City Hall with a massive Canadian flag in the middle.
> 
> Many say their prayers are now with Starker's family as they begin their long road to closure.


----------



## tomahawk6




----------



## old medic

Photo Show

http://www.calgarysun.com/images/photo/SoldierFuneral/index.html

Canadian Press Video

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Videos/?fr_story=FRdamp272584


----------



## mariomike

I would like to, belatedly, add this link:
http://www.torontoems.ca/main-site/news/stories/repatriation.html


----------



## mariomike

I should like to mention,  in case any of Cpl Starker's family should read this message, that there is a large portrait of Michael mounted to the wall on the second floor administration area of Toronto EMS HQ at 4330 Dufferin St.


----------

