# Gunner Jonathan Dion - 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada - 30 Dec. 2007



## Dog Walker (30 Dec 2007)

A report from CTV.

RIP

Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan
Updated Sun. Dec. 30 2007 11:05 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
An explosion has killed a Canadian soldier out on routine patrol in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
Four others were wounded in the blast, which occurred about 9:10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The dead soldier has been identified as Gunner Jonathan Dion of the 5th Regiment d'Artillerie legere du Canada, which is based in Valcartier, Que.
"The soldiers were carrying out a routine vehicle mounted patrol when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by an explosion," said an ISAF news release issued Sunday.
"They were immediately evacuated for medical care, sadly, one died of wounds inflicted by the explosion."
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the soldier who was killed and those who were injured," Wing Commander Antony McCord, Regional Command South spokesperson, said in the news release.

Canada has 2,500 soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission.
Dion's is the 74th Canadian soldier to die since 2002. A Canadian diplomat has also been killed.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071230/afghan_death_071230/20071230?hub=TopStories


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## KevinB (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## Ex-Dragoon (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner Jonathan Dion


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## Pte.Butt (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Soldier, you have done your duty well   

Condolences to the family, it's always tough to hear of another Canadian losing their lives over there, but I cannot imagine how the family's feel.


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## teddybear (30 Dec 2007)

RIP soldier.  

The rest of the boys are waiting for you on the other side.


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## tomahawk6 (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner Dion


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## geo (30 Dec 2007)

Rest now Gunner Dion, we'll take the load from here

My condolences to the Family, friends & comrades who share in the loss

At the going down of the sun
And in the morn,

We will remember them!

CHIMO!


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## Northern Ranger (30 Dec 2007)

End of Misson, Stand Easy


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## Mike Baker (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner


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## The Bread Guy (30 Dec 2007)

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

Bit more info from Canadian Press and CanWest/Global


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## GAP (30 Dec 2007)

Condolances


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## BernDawg (30 Dec 2007)

Stand Easy lad your work is done.
A hard time for all I'm sure. My families thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen and injured.


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## vonGarvin (30 Dec 2007)

RIP to the fallen.  Condolences to those left behind.


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## MikeL (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## armoured recce man (30 Dec 2007)

rip soldier 

adsum


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## Franko (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


Sunil Ram is spouting off. Anything for a sound bite.

Regards


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## stefwills (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## schart28 (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## military granny (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Jonathan Dion
My deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends


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## Groucho (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## darmil (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## 1feral1 (30 Dec 2007)

I hate waking up to such news.....

Wes


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## beach_bum (30 Dec 2007)

RIP   

Condolances to friends and family.


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## Rodahn (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner, may St. Barbra grant you peace.

My condolences to the family, friends and comrades.

Chimo


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## blacktriangle (30 Dec 2007)

RIP gunner.


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## cameron (30 Dec 2007)

RIP, you served well, now your worldly battles are over :cdnsalute:


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## McG (30 Dec 2007)

More details now:


> *Canadian soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan*
> Updated Sun. Dec. 30 2007 2:28 PM ET
> CTV.ca News Staff
> 
> ...


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071230/afghan_death_071230/20071230?hub=TopStories


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## NL_engineer (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Troop  :cdnsalute:


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## Kirkhill (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner


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## Raye (30 Dec 2007)

RIP     

My condolences to his family.


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## Devlin (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner Dion


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## JBoyd (30 Dec 2007)

RIP


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## 29CARR (30 Dec 2007)

Gunner Dion:
Thank you for having the courage to risk your life for others.  My prayers go out to you, your comrades, and your family.
May you Rest in Peace


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## karl28 (30 Dec 2007)

RIP  Your sacrifice will not be forgotten


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## Cloud Cover (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner


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## Big Foot (30 Dec 2007)

UBIQUE, Gunner. Rest in peace.


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## Haggis (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner Dion.  

To St. Michael's ranks you go as Heaven is your to guard now.

My condolences his family and freinds and the Regiment.  I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.


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## SgtRock..... (30 Dec 2007)

RIP Soldier.....


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## gaspasser (30 Dec 2007)

My thoughts to your family.  RIP
The only thing that comes to mind at this time is..Salaam Allakum..peace be unto you.
    :'(


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## muffin (31 Dec 2007)

RIP Troop... my thought and prayers are with the family and friends.


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## mudgunner49 (31 Dec 2007)

End of Mission, Gunner - Stand Easy...


Requiem in Pace,




blake


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## Petard (31 Dec 2007)

nous nous souviendrons de vous, artilleur Dion


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## deedster (31 Dec 2007)

Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are with your family & friends .


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## Nfld Sapper (31 Dec 2007)

Dion Family Statement

Statement
The Dion Family Wishes To Share This Message
DM 07.013 - December 31, 2007

GATINEAU, Qc - The family of private Jonathan Dion killed in service in Afghanistan on December the 30th 2007, wishes to make public the following declaration:

It is never easy for parents to lose a child. We are devastated by the death of Jonathan who, with dignity, gave up his life serving his country with honour and pride alongside his brothers in arms in Afghanistan. We are extremely proud of our son and of what he accomplished during his life including his career in the Canadian Armed Forces. It will be his distinctive smile and his joie de vivre which will remain in our minds as we think of him. He loved being a soldier and loved being in the company of brothers and sisters in arms.

Jonathan had found his rightful place in the Canadian Forces. He was maturing rapidly and showed that he was living life to the fullest and was developing his full potential. He was an example to all of his family and he was a great brother. Since he passionately believed in his mission in Afghanistan we supported him when he volunteered for this mission. Quite recently he was telling us he would like to return should there be a second tour.

Jonathan lived the major part of his life in the city of Gatineau. He loved his city, his small part of the country, and his neighbourhood. He wanted more than anything else to make a difference in the world around him. He died doing what he loved best, to be a soldier and serve his country. 

- 30 -

The Dion family wishes that the Medias respect their privacy during this period of deep mourning. They are not presently available for press interviews. Information concerning the repatriation, funeral service and the participation of the Medias will be made known later when the details will be known. 

For all questions, please contact Lieutenant Marcel Larocque, Public affairs representative at (613) 818-6485.


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## gaspasser (31 Dec 2007)

:'( Such beautiful parents of a fine soldier.
Stand Down Gunner.


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## Nfld Sapper (31 Dec 2007)

Media Advisory, Fallen Soldier Returning Home


Media Advisory
Fallen Soldier Returning Home
MA 07-048 - December 31, 2007

OTTAWA, Ont. - Our fallen soldier, Gunner Jonathan Dion, a member of 5e régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada, based in Valcartier, Quebec, is scheduled to return home to Canada.

Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario.
When: Wednesday, January 2, 2:00 p.m. 
What: Media are invited to view the arrival; however no interviews will be given. 

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

Gunner Dion was killed December 30, 2007 when the armoured vehicle he was traveling in struck a suspected improvised-explosive device. 

-30-

Note to the Editor/News Director: Interested media must contact CFB Trenton Public Affairs Officer, Major Isabelle Robitaille at mobile (613) 242-3156 or at: robitaille.mji@forces.gc.ca.

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


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## XtremeEuph (31 Dec 2007)

RIP Gunner, Thank you for your sacrifice and for making our country/ the rest of the guns proud.   

Condolences


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## Loachman (31 Dec 2007)

BYT Driver said:
			
		

> :'( Such beautiful parents of a fine soldier.



Ditto.

Our members act as we expect them to, but it is the courage, dignity, strength, and grace of such families that continues to fill me with awe.

Once more, we lose a superb human being, from a superb family, from a superb nation.

As great a tragedy as this is, it would be a greater tragedy if we did not produce such people.


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## manhole (1 Jan 2008)

RIP Gnr. Dion.....we are grateful for your service to this great country.   Ubique


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## schart28 (1 Jan 2008)

Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080101.wxsoldier01/BNStory/Afghanistan/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080101.wxsoldier01


TU THANH HA 

Globe and Mail Update

January 1, 2008 at 7:31 AM EST

MONTREAL — He had tough years, dropping out of junior college and drifting between odd jobs, until life in the military straightened him out.

Before Jonathan Dion left for Afghanistan last summer, the 27-year-old artillery gunner promised his family and friends that he would come back alive.

Gunner Dion died on Sunday, less than two weeks before his birthday on Jan. 10.

"It is never easy for parents to lose a child. We are devastated by the death of Jonathan who, with dignity, gave up his life serving his country with honour and pride," the Dion family said in a statement.


Canadian Gunner Jonathan Dion is shown in this undated handout photo. Gunner Dion, 27, was killed and four others are recovering from injuries suffered when their light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb early Dec. 30, 2007 in southern Afghanistan. (CP/Department of National Defence)

 The family said he was passionate about serving in Afghanistan - his first overseas deployment - and had told them he wanted to go back for a second rotation.

Gunner Dion was born in the remote mining community of Val d'Or, Que., but by the time he was eight years old, his family relocated to Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa.

Gatineau resident Edwin Laguerre knew Gunner Dion since grade school and remembered how both talked about joining the military.

"He overcame a lot of challenges in his youth. It turned his life around," Mr. Laguerre said, adding that his late friend always wanted to be in a front-line assignment.

Similar recollections were echoed in a tribute on the Facebook website.

There, Gunner Dion's half-brother, Benoît, recalled that the slain soldier had assured his mother that he would return so he could complete the giant tattoo on his shoulders that said: "Dedicated to the world's greatest mom."

Said Benoît: "Coming from you, I know that you would have kept your promise but others made it happen differently."

Childhood friend Benoît Fournier described Gunner Dion on Facebook as a young man who had found in the military a measure of stability.

"You were pretty wild between 16 and 18," he wrote, recalling Gunner Dion having a fight with a teacher or hiding from his mother the holes he had punched in a wall.

"He was the life of the party. He wasn't shy," said Mr. Laguerre, who enlisted recently. After quitting CEGEP, Quebec's post-secondary college program, Gunner Dion tried various trades. "He didn't have stable jobs. After high school, he tried a lot of things before he found his calling," Mr. Laguerre said. 

"Jonathan had found his rightful place in the Canadian Forces. He was maturing rapidly and showed that he was living life to the fullest and was developing his full potential," his family said in its statement.

Gunner Dion joined the Canadian Forces three years ago and was a member of the Valcartier-based 5e Régiment d'Artillerie légère du Canada.

He died after a roadside bomb struck the tracked light armoured vehicle that was carrying him back from a forward operating post to the main base at Kandahar 

-------------------------------------------
unfortunate death...


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## tomahawk6 (2 Jan 2008)




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## GUNS (3 Jan 2008)

Rest in Peace, Gunner

From a former member of 5 RALC
1968 - 1970


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## tomahawk6 (13 Jan 2008)

Honor Guard carry the casket of Gunner Jonathan Dion to a hearse after his funeral in Gatineau, January 12, 2008.


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