# RIP Lt. Andrew Nuttall



## charlesm (24 Dec 2009)

Shared in accordance with copyright laws


http://www.timescolonist.com/Soldier+from+Victoria+killed+Afghanistan/2376497/story.html


A Victoria soldier who surprised friends when he joined the military to go to Afghanistan and help people was killed Wednesday by an improvised explosive device.

Lieut. Andrew Richard Nuttall was on a foot patrol near the village of Nakhonay about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City when he was killed. Also killed was a soldier of the Afghan National Army and an Afghan interpreter. 

Nuttall is the son of a prominent Victoria doctor and nurse, Richard and Jane Nuttall, who are involved with setting up medical clinics in Third World countries. 

Friends remember a man who wanted to use his abilities to do the most good he could.

“He was the type of person who always put others first,” said Craig Patterson, a friend and the owner of Crossfit School of Fitness in Vancouver, where Nuttall previously trained and worked.

The avid athlete and former University of Victoria student was a member of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, which went to Afghanistan in October for a six-month tour. Their job is to work with soldiers and police of the Afghan National Security Forces to improve security.

It was Nuttall’s first tour, though he had been in the military for almost three years, Patterson said.

Friends remember him as a good-natured, happy person who wanted to help the people in Afghanistan.

Janine Armstrong, a friend of Nuttall’s from university, saw him at a wedding in Victoria in the summer. He walked in wearing his uniform, surprising many people there.

“He said there are so many places in the world that need help. He thought that by going to Afghanistan, he could make a difference,” Armstrong said yesterday. “He saw it as an opportunity to get in on the ground level and help people in a situation that a lot of other people won’t put themselves in. He said he knew it was something he could do. He wasn’t afraid.”

Nuttall kept a Facebook site and a personal blog where he gave periodic cheery updates from Afghanistan.

There are several references to improvised explosive devices, including one in which he wrote that he was making headway with locals and getting information about weapons and IEDs.

In a Nov. 15 update, Nuttall wrote that the soldiers were finding IEDs “like they’re going out of style.” He also refers to the group losing “two really good guys to IEDs.”

Both were friends, Nuttall wrote. Despite the loss, he says, “all of us here are very proud to be doing this, no one is doubting their decision to be here and all of us know how strongly we are supported by great people like yourselves back home.”

The most recent update was on Dec. 1, where he noted that his tour was being extended to mid-June. 

“All of us here (including me) are not worried about this extension. We all believe in what we’re doing and an extra few weeks isn’t going to hurt anyone in the long run (as long as we maintain our vigilance of course),” he wrote.

That kind of comment doesn’t surprise Patterson, who said Nuttall could have had any number of careers that would have meant a much quieter life than the military.

“He always said, ‘That is just too easy.’”

Patterson had a long talk with his friend shortly before he left on the Afghanistan tour. 

“He told me, ‘Patty, the infantry is my home and until I lead men into combat and see what I am made of, I won’t truly know who I am as a man.’”

It was as if Nuttall had to pick the hardest thing he could, Patterson said.

“It was like he knew he was capable of being a good leader and that if he knew that, he should do it. It was his duty.”

Other Islanders killed in Afghanistan include Miles Mansell, a reservist from Langford who was killed by an IED on April 22, 2006. 

Cpl. Andrew “Boomer” Eykelenboom of Comox was killed Aug. 11, 2006, by a suicide bomber. The 23-year-old was a Canadian Forces medic.

kwestad@tc.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist


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## harry8422 (24 Dec 2009)

Rest in peace soldier.


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## Nfld Sapper (24 Dec 2009)

News Release
Canadian soldier killed by improvised explosive device
CEFCOM NR 09.032 - December 23, 2009

OTTAWA — One Canadian soldier and one soldier of the Afghan National Army (ANA) were killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated during a joint foot patrol near the village of Nakhonay in Panjwaii District, about 25 km southwest of Kandahar City, on December 23, 2009. The explosion also injured an Afghan interpreter.







Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall

Killed in action was Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall, from the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI), based in Edmonton, Alberta, serving as a member of the 1 PPCLI Battle Group. The names of the Afghan soldier and interpreter will not be released.

At this sad time, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our fallen Canadian and Afghan comrades. The commitment and sacrifice of our soldiers and their loved ones are helping to make a difference in the lives of the people of Kandahar Province.

Members of Joint Task Force Afghanistan work with the soldiers and police of the Afghan National Security Forces to improve security and build a better future for Afghans. Canada remains committed to bringing peace, stability and good governance to Afghanistan.

–30–

Note to editors (Note: new procedure): A photograph of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall is available on the Fallen Canadians page of the Department of National Defence website. Please visit http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/focus/fallen-disparus/index-eng.asp


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## eurowing (24 Dec 2009)

Sad news indeed.  Rest in Peace Sir.


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## fire_guy686 (24 Dec 2009)

Rest Easy Sir.


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## tomahawk6 (24 Dec 2009)

Prayers out to the Nuttall family.



> I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
> Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
> The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
> That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (24 Dec 2009)

Sincerest condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen, Canada's as well as Afghanistan's.


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## armyvern (24 Dec 2009)

The angels have received another honourable man in their midst tonight; may that bring comfort to his family, friends and fellow soldiers.

Sleep well & peacefully Sir.


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## manhole (24 Dec 2009)

our condolences to his family and friends....RIP , sir...


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## CFR FCS (24 Dec 2009)

Another fine soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice.  

RIP


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## DonaldMcL (24 Dec 2009)

harry8422 said:
			
		

> Rest in piece soldier.



Please fix the typo... 

RIP Sir,


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## forza_milan (24 Dec 2009)

You will be missed by many brother. RIP Sir.

Been listening to a mix he made and put up on his blog here http://www.nuttman.info/



"Maybe the daily drudgery of life is a lot like open-water swimming; you fight to stay afloat, move as fast as you can to avoid sinking, and head for the Island after every lap.

If it weren’t for the islands it would be hard to keep on going. " - A.N.


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## Eye In The Sky (24 Dec 2009)

:cdnsalute:


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## Nfld Sapper (24 Dec 2009)

Statement
Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the death of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall
NR - 09.118 - December 23, 2009

OTTAWA - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, issued the following statement today on the death of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall in Afghanistan.

“I would like to express my profound condolences to the families and friends of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall, who died as the result of an improvised explosive device detonating near his patrol. 

The incident occurred in the vicinity of Nakhonay, Panjwaii district, approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Kandahar City.

Our thoughts are with the family of the Afghan National Army soldier who was killed and the ISAF interpreter who was injured during the same tragic incident. 
This UN-sanctioned, NATO lead mission is not without its challenges, and Canada’s government continues to show international leadership, alongside our international partners, to help the Afghan people achieve peace and stability in order rebuild their country and its institutions. 

Our valiant men and women in uniform are steadfast in their efforts to build a brighter future for the people of Afghanistan. 

Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall was an extraordinary Canadian who will always deserve recognition and respect of his ultimate sacrifice for this nation.” 

– 30 –

Killed in action was Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall, from the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI), based in Edmonton, Alberta, serving as a member of the 1 PPCLI Battle Group.



Message 
December 24, 2009

Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, on the death of Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall

OTTAWA—Once again, the entire country is in mourning. Lieutenant Andrew Richard Nuttall from the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta, was killed when an anti-personnel mine exploded. A soldier from the Afghan National Army also died and an Afghan interpreter was injured. My husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I are deeply saddened.

This death comes at the end of a particularly difficult year and as we begin the holiday season, an important time for families.

It is a harsh reminder of the enormous sacrifices our soldiers and their loved ones have agreed to make so that stability and security can be re-established in a dangerous region of the world and to help people who have been deprived of their most fundamental rights, distressed by years of violence and oppression.

It is a harsh reminder that, day and night, despite successive attacks and the loss of their comrades, our soldiers continue to take enormous risks, and to work in and patrol mined areas of Afghanistan in the name of justice and freedom.

We will never forget Lieutenant Nuttall, his courage, his generous spirit, his sense of duty and dedication, or the ultimate sacrifice he made. At this extremely difficult time, our thoughts are with his family, his loved ones and his comrades. Our thoughts are also with all Canadian military personnel deployed abroad, far away from their families.

Michaëlle Jean

‑30‑

Media Information
Marie-Ève Létourneau
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-0287
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca




Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada
24 December 2009
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today on the death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan:

“I join all Canadians in offering my sincere and heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family and loved ones of Lieutenant Andrew Nuttall, who was killed today in Afghanistan.  The impact of this news is especially profound during the holiday season and will be felt in households across the country.

“Lieutenant Nuttall was a professional soldier who was dedicated to providing stability for the Afghan people.

“This same terrible incident took the life of an Afghan National Army Soldier and injured an ISAF interpreter.  I also extend my sympathies to their families and friends.

“Canadians are proud of our military men and women.  We support their families, and all those who serve and sacrifice to protect the interests and values of Canadians.  We will not waiver in our goal of helping Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society.

“Lieutenant Nuttall’s sacrifice will not be forgotten.”


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## Haligonian (24 Dec 2009)

Nutts was an awesome person and a dedicated soldier.  I did two phase courses with him and his optimism could always light up a day that was other wise going to shits.  He'll be missed.


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## BlueJingo (24 Dec 2009)

RIP Sir.


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## mariomike (24 Dec 2009)

In our thoughts and prayers.


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## OldSolduer (24 Dec 2009)

RIP Lt Nuttal, we will remember you.


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## vonGarvin (24 Dec 2009)

Very sad news this Christmas eve.  


RIP soldier, and my condolences to his friends, family and comrades in arms.

:yellow:


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## kwon (24 Dec 2009)

RIP Sir.


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## VIChris (24 Dec 2009)

RIP Sir.

Your example of dedication as shown through your blog is inspirational. Your goal of making a difference overseas appears to have been met, and you won't soon be forgotten. 

My condolences to your family and friends.


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## erik.hillis (24 Dec 2009)

RIP Sir


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## gun runner (25 Dec 2009)

Rest in peace Sir, for a job done well. My most sincere condolences to his family, friends and the Regiment. Ubique


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## R933ex (25 Dec 2009)

R.I.P Sir


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## ballz (25 Dec 2009)

May angels lead you in Sir


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## gun plumber (25 Dec 2009)

R.I.P


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## DBF (25 Dec 2009)

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember..."


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## BernDawg (25 Dec 2009)

Rest in Piece Sir.


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## Nfld Sapper (27 Dec 2009)

Media Advisory
Our Fallen Comrade Returns Home
LFCA MA 09-19 - December 27, 2009

OTTAWA – Our fallen comrade, Lieutenant Andrew R. Nuttall from the1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta, returns home to Canada tomorrow.

Where:  8 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario.
When:   Monday, December 28, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. 
What:    At the request of the family, media will be permitted on the tarmac.

Present to pay their respects will be Her Excellency The Governor General of Canada, The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Minister of National Defence, The Honourable Peter MacKay, Chief of Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, and other dignitaries.

Lieutenant Nuttall was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated during a foot patrol near the village of Nakhonay in Panjwaii District, about 25 km southwest of Kandahar City, on December 23, 2009. The explosion also killed a member of the Afghan National Army and injured an Afghan interpreter. 

-30-

Note to Editors/News Directors:
Interested media may contact Captain Mark Peebles, 8 Wing/CFB Trenton Public Affairs Officer, who can be reached at (613) 392-2811, ext. 2041, or mobile 613-243-6358, or at: peebles.m@forces.gc.ca

For general queries, please contact the Media Liaison Office at 1-866-377-0811 or 613-996-2353. For flight information, please contact the Air Passenger Terminal at 1-800-487-1186.


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## catalyst (2 Jan 2010)

Has there been any information on when (if?) he will be returning to Victoria?


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## Nfld Sapper (2 Jan 2010)

Funeral is set for Monday according to this article Public funeral planned for Victoria soldier killed in Afghanistan

EDITED TO ADD

A Funeral Service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, Quadra at Courtney Street on Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:00 pm. Interment will follow at Royal Oak Burial Park.


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## armyvern (2 Jan 2010)

ArmySailor said:
			
		

> Has there been any information on when (if?) he will be returning to Victoria?



I believe that he has already returned to Victoria. 

http://www.mccallbros.com/lt-andrew-richard-nuttall/



> *Lt. Andrew Richard Nuttall*
> 
> June 27, 1979 – December 23, 2009
> It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our dearest, most beloved Andrew, ‘Andy’,‘Drew’, ‘Nutts’, at age 30. He died suddenly and tragically leading his platoon of military brothers of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (1PPCLI) in Panjwayi District, Afghanistan.
> ...


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## Old Sweat (23 Aug 2010)

While this thread has been inactive for a long time, I think the following story from today's Ottawa Citizen is an appropriate reason to reactivate it. The story is reproduced under the Fair Comment provisions of the Copyright Act.

I would like to add that times have really changed in the CF. In the bad not too old days by Treasury Board direction, there would be no support to memorial services or military funerals if costs would be incurred for travel, accommodation or meals.

*Paying tribute to a fallen hero*

By Matthew Pearson, The Ottawa Citizen August 23, 2010 7:03 AM  

Judy Davies, with her daughter Meredith, holds a photo of her nephew, Lt. Andrew Nuttall. A laminated map of British Columbia is spread out on the kitchen table.

Judy Davies locates Williams Lake, a rough-and-tumble cowboy town in the province’s interior, drags her finger west toward the coast and settles on a dot called Alexis Creek.


It was here Davies attended a memorial service for her nephew, Lt. Andrew Nuttall, who died in Afghanistan late last year.


For three days in July, Davies and two of her three daughters lived, laughed and grieved alongside members of Nuttall’s platoon who had gathered on his family’s ranch to finish a job the young soldier never got a chance to start.


The story begins as these stories often do — with a phone call full of bad news.

It was two days before Christmas and Davies was preparing for the holidays. Nuttall, her 30-year-old nephew, had deployed to Afghanistan in October. He was a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry D company 12th platoon.


Davies and her daughters had been reading his regular blog posts and knew he was working out of the forward operating bases near the violent Panjwaii district.


“Every time my sister (Nuttall’s mother, Jane) would call, I was anxious something might have happened to him,” Davies says.


The phone call Dec. 23 made real her worst fear: Nuttall was killed by a roadside bomb while leading his platoon on a foot patrol. He was the 134th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.


“We were just shattered,” Davies says. “We were in total disbelief.” They prayed it was some kind of mistake, but news reports soon confirmed otherwise.


Nuttall’s death cast a pall over Christmas and the days that followed.

Davies, her three daughters and other members of the extended family went to Trenton to attend the ramp ceremony. They met Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and several senior military leaders.


Judy later rode down the Highway of Heroes with Nuttall’s immediate family before flying to Victoria, where she and about 1,000 others attended his funeral.


During the wake, Nuttall’s father, Richard, told a military official about his son’s love of the family’s ranch and his desire to erect a sign at the entrance of the undeveloped land.


If that’s what Andrew wanted, the military official told his father, then that’s what we’ll do.

“The platoon and the people in charge just embraced the idea,” Davies says.

And so it was one morning last month that a convoy from CFB Edmonton — complete with a military heavy-logistic vehicle, a refrigerated truck and a busload of guys from Nuttall’s platoon — arrived at the family’s ranch after driving overnight from Alberta.


They quickly set up a mess hall and small tent city on a flat piece of land.

As Davies’ daughter, Meredith, recalls: “You blinked and the camp was set up.”

The next morning, the sky was clear and bright.

The padre, who had been with the platoon in Afghanistan, led the group in prayer. Five RCMP officers from the local detachment wore their red serge, a First Nations chief gave a traditional blessing, Judy read a poem and several of Nuttall’s platoon members offered personal tributes.


At one point, two guys climbed into the bucket of a cherry-picker and were raised up to hang a sign over the entrance to the family’s property.


“Cayoosh Ranch” — named for the colloquial word some local First Nations people give wild ponies — was carved in wood.

The platoon also unveiled a small stone monument engraved with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry’s insignia. They laid wreaths, stood for two minutes of silence and fired off a 21-gun salute, which reverberated off the mountains.


Afterwards, there was a barbecue. Some people played soccer or went for a swim in the creek. At night, everyone gathered around a huge bonfire.


For Judy and the rest of her family, it was a chance to get to know some of her nephew’s platoon members, including those who were with him right before his death.


It was they, Judy says, who later had to list and pack up Nuttall’s personal belongings and send them back to Canada after he was injured.


“When someone’s helicoptered out, they know they’re not coming back — they’re either badly injured or they’re killed.”

She adds most of Nuttall’s platoon, while in the theatre of war, had little chance to grieve and couldn’t attend the ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield.


Davies says the unique memorial also gave her a chance to be part of something that came to define the final years of her nephew’s life.


An athletic sort, Nuttall had studied engineering in university and worked several jobs in the computer industry before his interest in fitness led him to a job as a personal trainer.


It was in that role that he met several members of the military and became interested in joining himself.

Here was a career that combined his physicality and leadership skills.

“He’d really come into his own,” Judy says. “He’d done a lot of things in his 20s, but three summers ago, I saw him graduate his officer training in St. Jean, Que., and I just saw how this all came together for him.”


The interview ends and Judy lets out a sigh of relief. A special education teacher at Bayshore Public School, she hasn’t done this kind of thing before.


She leads the way to a computer in her den to show some pictures from the memorial.

In one, she and her family are flanked by troops dressed in fatigues, standing beside the newly-raised sign marking the entrance to Cayoosh Ranch.


They had done what they said they would do; what Andrew Nuttall never had a chance to do.


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## tech2002 (23 Aug 2010)

that awsome     :yellow:


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## 4Feathers (23 Aug 2010)

What a great tribute. They shall not be forgotten. :yellow:


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## The Bread Guy (21 Aug 2013)

A bump with some of the latest from Canada's war poet Suzanne Steele:


> to Vancouver for the 4th annual Nutts Cup Crossfit Competition to watch teams of Gods and Goddesses, all muscles and camaraderie competing in honour of Lt. Andrew Nuttall (KIA 23 Dec/09 A’stan) and the Lt. Andrew Nuttall Youth At Risk Foundation
> 
> I was first in contact with Andrew’s family when his aunt emailed me to ask if her daughter could read a poem of mine at his funeral. I’d written it for Lt. Nuttall upon hearing of his death having been in his rifle company during 2008-2009.
> 
> I met his kinfolk at the Task Force 3-09 memorial at the base in Edmonton in 2010 and over the years we’ve become friends. I have watched this family survive the worst possible fate – to lose a son or daughter – just as my own family lost one of our most precious beloveds, age 26, just a year before Andrew Nuttall was killed. somehow, attending these events is not a morbid experience, but rather, life-giving. we aim to keep our beloveds alive by speaking their names, by having their pictures in our midst, by living for them ....


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