# Tpr. Mark Andrew Wilson - RCD - 07 Oct 06



## dynaglide

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061007/soldier_killed_061007/20061007?hub=TopStories


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## vonGarvin

RIP to whoever it was, and again, I fear that we have lost one of our own.  Irrespective of whereever this soldier came from, RIP


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## ladybugmabj

The families and wives back home have now come to learn that when we see NATO, it more than likely comes to mean Canadian.  I pray I am wrong, and I pray for the family of the fallen soldier.


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## The Bread Guy

+1 Ladybug

 to the fallen, condolences to family, colleagues and friends


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## MJP

ladybugmabj said:
			
		

> The families and wives back home have now come to learn that when we see NATO, it more than likely comes to mean Canadian.  I pray I am wrong, and I pray for the family of the fallen soldier.



I look more to the district that the NATO soldier was killed in.  The most recent NATO death is from an area that is predominately patroled by Canadians.


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## military granny

My condolences to the family of the fallen soldier. 
RIP


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## Mike Baker

It is Canadian. Just saw it on CTV. RIP soldier, you done us well.


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## military granny

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/09/19/1862681-cp.html

Update Now reporting it is a Canadian Soldier.


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## Pte_Martin

Not another one, RIP


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## Big Red

RIP.


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## a78jumper

What an ordeal! Seems like we no sooner get one plane with caskets home, the whole damn process it repeated. Kabul scared the living crap out of me at times(and my contact with the city was limited)  I just can not imagine what these soldiers are going through on a daily basis. RIP.


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## Cloud Cover

RIP


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## on guard for thee

CTV link with some detail..

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061007/soldier_killed_061007/20061007?hub=TopStories

Initial indications are that the vehicles involved were Nyalas.

RIP


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## karl28

RIP Soldier


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## warspite

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

May you rest in peace


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## Nfld Sapper

It is becoming far to common now.

Stand Easy Soilder, Mission Over.


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## from darkness lite

RIP troop.

Lest We Forget

FDL


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## committed

Short note to On Guard for Thee -- Pls be careful about what you say in here.  Discussing what happened and who/what was involved beyond what has been released to the press could well endanger our deployed soldiers.

Another sad day.  Give his family and his unit strength.


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## on guard for thee

To committed,

Ack WRT putting too much info on this site, but what I stated was contained in the open-source article that I was referring to.

Enough of that. Back to what this thread should be about.

Our Fallen Comrade.

RIP, and my condolences to family, friends and colleagues.

edited for typographical error


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## Cdn_Chimo

Rest in Peace Brother. My condolences go out to the family of our fallen comrade.


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## career_radio-checker

RIP soldier  

total is now 40 Cdn soldiers -- a very grim mile-stone.

I watched the online broadcast with Paul Workman on ctv.ca and you could tell he was visibly shaken up at the very end of the segment.


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## p_imbeault

RIP soldier


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## Pea

Sitting at my Mom's place this morning and heard a brief comment on this on the radio. Finally had a chance to get online to check the news on the internet.

Another sad day for Canada. My heart goes out to the family & friends of this fallen soldier. I'm truly at a loss for words this morning.


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## big bad john

RIP friend.  Condolances,prayers and thoughs for family,comrades and loved ones.


http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/10/07/afghan-killed.html

40th Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan, NATO confirms 
Last Updated: Saturday, October 7, 2006 | 1:08 PM ET 
CBC News 
A 40th Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan after a NATO patrol was hit by a roadside explosive on Saturday in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, a military spokesman said.

Col. Fred Lewis, the Canadian deputy commander of NATO's international force in Afghanistan, said the victim was Canadian and a gunner inside an armoured jeep that struck a mine or a roadside bomb early Saturday morning.

The soldier, whose name and hometown was not immediately released, was killed in the same area as a previous attack on Tuesday that killed two Canadian soldiers and wounded five others.

Video footage showed a damaged Nyala RG-31 jeep being towed from the scene. The explosion penetrated the vehicle and the wounded soldier died later of his injuries. There were no other casualties, the colonel said.

Lewis said soldiers remain confident in the protection that the Nyala provides against roadside blasts, but added no vehicle is impervious.

"You can always build a bigger bomb," he said.

Canadian military officials said militants, who still have strong presence in the area, assaulted the patrol with small arms fire. Attack helicopters and an explosives disposal team were dispatched to the area.

"We interrupted two small patrols of insurgents," Lewis said. "They were to the west and north of our locations."

More than 2,000 Canadian troops are deployed in the region and Canadians are leading the NATO forces there. The latest death comes on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Southern Afghanistan has been the scene of increased fighting and attacks during the past several months. Taliban militants have been stepping up the use of roadside and suicide bombs.

NATO troops had massive clashes with militants in the Panjwaii area last month, and NATO said more than 300 fighters were killed.

Militants attack U.S. patrol in Khost

In the eastern province of Khost, meanwhile, a suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. patrol near the border with Pakistan, said provincial police chief Mohammed Ayub. He said there were no casualties but one vehicle was damaged. The U.S. military had no immediate information.

In Ghazni province, police said a regional Taliban commander — Mullah Abdul Rahim Sabauun — was killed by police on Thursday.

Sabauun and his bodyguard, who were riding on a motorbike, were killed by police in Gelan district, said police Chief Mirhamid, who goes by only one name. Sabuun was reportedly a high-ranking politician during the Taliban's rule.

Fifth anniversary of invasion

The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began Oct. 7, 2001, to oust the hardline Taliban regime for hosting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Western forces and Afghanistan's Northern Alliance quickly routed the Islamic regime.

But the militant fighters who once appeared down and out have returned with a vengeance, taking control of large swaths of countryside in the last year.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in rising violence this year, mostly militants battling Western forces and their superior firepower. Suicide bombers are increasingly targeting ordinary Afghans and Western troops, and militants are assassinating key political figures, burning down schools and using roadside bombs to deadly effect.


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## The Bread Guy

CF Statement

http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&actionFor=615663&searchText=false&showText=all

OCTOBER 7, 2006 - 14:30 ET   
  
DND: IED Attack Kills Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan 
  
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 7, 2006) - At approximately 5 a.m. (Afghanistan time), a Canadian soldier was killed today when the RG-31 he was travelling in was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Panjwayi area, approximately 25 km West of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Next of kin have requested that the name of the fallen soldier not yet be released. There are no reports of any other casualties. The soldier's unit was on patrol between the Zhari District Centre (ZDC) and Bazaar-e-Panjwayi, the location of a new two-lane road which is being constructed with the assistance of the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team.

The Pashmul area is where the Canadian Forces have been focusing their efforts during Phase 4 of Operation Medusa, the reconstruction and development phase. The IED blast occurred within 1 km of the two most recent incidents which took the lives of three Canadian soldiers.

Canadian troops in Afghanistan are serving alongside soldiers and civilians from 36 countries under the NATO-led, UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). A key part of Canada's 'whole of government' assistance to Afghanistan is helping establish the security necessary to promote development.

While fellow troops will the mourn the loss of a fallen comrade, they we will not be deterred from the goal of helping the Afghan people achieve greater stability and security.


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## Booked_Spice

RIP


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## FGH_Recce_DJ

:'(


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## the 48th regulator

dileas gu brath My brother.

dileas

tess


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## patrick666

Another sad day - rest in peace, soldier.


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## Rice0031

Rest in Peace.


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## dardt

RIP Soldier


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## 3rd Horseman

RIP soldier, thoughts are with family and friends and his regimental family. Keep the faith you are all doing good work.


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## logos

RIP Brother


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## hayterowensound

RIP  

The Hayter Family


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## blacktriangle

RIP soldier.


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## tomahawk6

My sympathies.


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## camochick

RIP. My thoughts go out to the friends and families.


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## Devlin

RIP troop ... our thanks for all you did


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## JerryCanns

RIP my brother


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## Nfld Sapper

Ctv.ca is now reporting the name our fallen brother.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061007/soldier_killed_061007/20061007?hub=TopStories

40th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan
Updated Sat. Oct. 7 2006 9:46 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff





Canada's 40th military death in Afghanistan, the victim of a roadside bombing, has been identified.

Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson of the Royal Canadian Dragoons of CFB Petawawa was on a pre-dawn patrol Saturday when either a roadside bomb or a landmine detonated. 

The explosion penetrated the Nyala RG-31 armoured vehicle and took Wilson's life. The blast didn't injure any other soldiers in the vehicle. 

Wilson was the vehicle's gunner. In the Nyala, the gunner is responsible for operating a machine-gun remotely from inside. 

Video showed a wheel missing from the vehicle, but otherwise, it appeared to be largely intact.

Wilson's age and home town aren't available yet.

The Nyala is one of the toughest vehicles available to the Canadian military in Afghanistan, said CTV News' Paul Workman. 

The deputy commander of Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan wouldn't reveal details about the explosion or how it managed to penetrate the vehicle built specifically to withstand simultaneous blasts from two anti-tank mines. 

"You can always build a bigger bomb,'' said Col. Fred Lewis. "In this particular case, I think the enemy got a bit lucky.

"The RG 31 is a superb vehicle, and you know this is the first time something like this has happened," he said. "The troops have superb confidence in this vehicle."

The blast occurred as soldiers travelled in two RG-31s to pick up a foot patrol near where Canadian forces are building a new road. An attack in the same area on Tuesday killed two Canadian soldiers and left five others wounded, Workman said. 

After the attack, an explosives disposal team and a military attack helicopter were dispatched to the area. 

The Panjwaii region has been the scene of heavy combat and several bomb attacks in the last month. Thirteen soldiers have died in the area since Sept. 1. 

Other attacks

Also on Saturday in the eastern province of Khost, a suicide bomber used a car to target a U.S. patrol near the Pakistan border, provincial police chief Mohammed Ayub told The Associated Press. 

There were no casualties, but one of the vehicles was damaged. 

Gunmen killed two German journalists in northern Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman told Reuters they were not responsible for the attack.

And in Ghazni province, police said a regional Taliban commander -- Mullah Abdul Rahim Sabauun -- was killed by police on Thursday. 

Sabauun was reportedly a high-ranking politician under Taliban rule. 

In total, 40 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. About 150 have been wounded.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of the commencement of U.S. military operations to overthrow the Taliban.

With a report from CTV News' Paul Workman


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## gk404

Rest in Peace.

My condolences to the family and friends


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## AA13

Mark it was a honor to know you share many laughs with you. RIP my friend.


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## Trooper Hale

To one of the nicest men i've ever met, to have you leave so soon after Mitch is just unfair. It was a pleasure to have known you and spent time with you.
Dragoons always,
Hales


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## Greywolf

I was shocked when I heard the news.  Mark and I did basic training together.  He was a great guy.  I still remember the last time I talked to him when we ran into each other at the Coriano back in May.  He was excited about going on his first tour.  I've been hearing about the deaths in the past month, but when it comes to someone I personally know, it really hits close to home.  A lump just forms in my throat... :-[

We should never forget Mark and his sacrifice.  I am honoured to have known him and may he rest in peace.


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## ArmyRick

RIP, Dragoon


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## dglad

It took me a while, but I finally found the passage I was looking for.  This is from the funeral oration of Pericles, over Athenian soldiers who had died in one of the opening battles of the Peloponnesian War.  I'd run across it some years go, in a very different context.  It's 2500 years old, but somehow seems fitting words for our most recent fallen soldier, as well as those who have fallen before him, trying to bring good to a far-off place.

_For the whole earth is the tomb of famous men; not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions in their own country, but in foreign lands there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men._


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## OldTanker

My condolences, and those of my family. Farewell, brother in arms.


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## Mat-V

Mark and I went through DP1 together. He was a great guy who always saw everything in a positive way. From myself and the rest of the boys who went to the Strats we will miss you friend.


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## big bad john

Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson.  RIP.


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## manhole

RIP, soldier.   Condolences to your family and friends.   I am thankful for your service and for all those who serve our country.         Ubique


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## reccecrewman

Mark,

I came to know you when I went to A Squadron last fall.  We became friends quickly, your easy going ways, and unique sense of humour made everyone around you at ease.  I know you'll keep our fallen soldiers in stitches the same as you did here...........  Goodbye friend.

Another sad day for the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Regards


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## BernDawg

Stand easy trooper, RIP.


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## Bzzliteyr

Crap!! That's what I exclaimed as I opened my Internet Explorer this morning to see the face of one of my former DP1 students...  Trooper Wilson, my thoughts are with your family and friends and I will reiterate to them that the Armour Corps is here for them should they need anything. On behalf of myself and the other members of the 12e Régiment Blindé du Canada, my condolences...

Adsum


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## 105

rip fellow dragoon


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## Lost_Warrior

You did the Armoured Corps proud.  Stand easy.  RIP.


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## Good2Golf

RIP Trooper Wilson.  Stand easy.


G2G


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## Corbie

RIP Mark it was a pleasure to have worked with you.  Heading back over on Wednesday and will see the boys.


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## josh

RIP


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## McMahon

RIP Brother


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## old medic

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=2113

Statement from the family of Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson

- October 10, 2006

Josh, Ben and I are still reeling from the news we received regarding Mark’s death. Mark very proudly served his country and died for a cause he believed in. He will be sadly and forever missed by his wife and sons, as well as by his parents, siblings, and extended family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the troops of his regiment, those deployed in Khandahar and at CFB Petawawa. We also send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones while serving in Afghanistan.

During this difficult time, as we grieve the loss of a loved one, we respectfully request privacy. 

Loving Family and Friends

- 30 -
Note to the editors:

For more information please contact 2nd Lieut. Krzysztof Stachura, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Public Affairs Officer, at (613) 687-5511 extension 6351, or (613) 639-0485 (cell).


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## old medic

Memorial Services 
http://www.dragoons.ca/OnlineBookCondolences/Memorials.html


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## The Bread Guy

Remembered in the House of Commons (Hansard, 16 Oct 06)
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=1&DocId=2401737#SOB-1693000

Mrs. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP):  

    Mr. Speaker, sadly today one of Canada's dedicated soldiers was laid to rest in London, Ontario. On October 7, trooper Mark Andrew Wilson was killed near Kandahar in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb struck his armoured vehicle. He was 39 years old. He left behind a devoted family, a wife and two sons.

    A member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Trooper Wilson was an outdoor enthusiast who joined the Canadian Forces later than most, at age 35. He was described by his family as a rock, a caregiver and the type of person everyone loved. He was always smiling.

    Trooper Wilson was a dedicated, knowledgeable and energetic soldier who was always looking to increase his skills and abilities. He was viewed as trustworthy and was well respected by his fellow soldiers and supervisors alike.

    Trooper Wilson was a courageous and honourable man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He will be greatly missed.

    I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends. My thoughts are with them today.

*   *   *


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## Loachman

Two accounts from today's London Free Press:

﻿************************************************************

Soldier afforded fitting last farewell

Tue, October 17, 2006

We all mourn : A city pays its respects as Trooper Mark Wilson is laid to rest. The sounds of silence

By JENNIFER O'BRIEN, FREE PRESS REPORTER

Inside a London church yesterday, at least 1,000 people - relatives, friends and soldiers - stood united behind the broken family of Trooper Mark Wilson.

Outside the packed Mary Immaculate Catholic Church - under yellow-ribboned trees and in a wind-lashed parking lot - stood scores of people who didn't know the fallen soldier, but felt his loss.

It was a fitting final farewell from a city that has joined in grief - most notably with a grassroots yellow-ribbon campaign - since Wilson, 39, died Oct. 7 in a roadside blast near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

"I have been enormously impressed with how our community has responded to this tragedy," Rev. Graham Keep said in an emotional sermon piped over outdoor speakers to throngs gathered outside the church.

As a sign of solidarity with Mark's family, one cannot find any yellow ribbon anywhere in this city."

"They're sold out," he said of fabric stores that had reported a run on yellow ribbon since a radio show caller challenged the city to show its support for the grieving family. "Good, they should be sold out."

Yesterday, the bright ribbons adorned the lapels of many who attended. Others wore red. Some wore poppies.

All were solemn as they emerged from the 50-vehicle procession and filed into the church. Then, to the lonely skirl of a bagpipe, the black-clad family emerged from limousines and stood, red-eyed, clutching tissues, waiting for soldiers to carry Wilson's flag-draped casket into the church.

Wilson's mother, Carolyn, leaned into her grandson, Josh, 17 - Wilson's older son - and wrapped her arm tightly around
him.

Nearby, Wilson's widow, Dawn, held the hand of her younger son, Ben, 11. Behind them, Wilson's father, Carl, swallowed hard as eight soldiers lifted the casket.

Josh put a comforting hand on the shoulder of his uncle, Sean, who broke down beside him. Then together, supported by each other and an entire city, the family moved inside to say goodbye.

"Mark will always live on for us as our hero," Pete Sandford, Wilson's godfather, said in the eulogy.

Keep urged the congregation to have hope, commended the family's courage and noted how their tragic loss had brought Londoners together in sympathy and support. He also thanked the 1,000 people who filled the church's pews, halls and even its basement.

"Mark's death was not in vain," he said. "It is a call to all of us to be peacekeepers in our own lives."

As the mass went on, a lone woman stood far back in the church parking lot, holding a small Canadian flag.

"I'm concerned about our men in Afghanistan, all of them," said Audrey Blackwell, who lives nearby. "This is so very sad, I had tears in my eyes before I came today."

Across the street, under a golden maple tree adorned with a yellow bow, stood a clutch of people. Most didn't know each other. They couldn't hear the service. But they were among those, including flag-waving schoolchildren, who lined the streets.

"We wanted to support the family," said Melanie Bergeron, who stood with her nine-month-old daughter throughout the mass. "We just wanted to see it through."

A half hour before the mass began, pupils from St. Robert and Holy Family schools filed out to the church property, holding paper Canadian flags. "Thank you for your bravery. R.I.P. Marc Wilson," one child's sign read.

In front of the church, a 12-member honour guard from Wilson's unit, the Royal Canadian Dragoons based at CFB Petawawa, stood at attention to meet their fallen comrade. An unofficial honour guard of local veterans, firefighters and police saluted as the hearse drew up.

"I fought for his world, then he fought for mine," said Jack Weekes, a Royal Canadian Air Force retiree. "It's the least you can do."

Among the military officials paying their respects was the Dragoons' commanding officer, Lt. Col. Stephen Cadden, who said Wilson also would be honoured at a service today in Petawawa.

He said Canadian troops have been bolstered by recent outpourings of support.

"In my 23 years in the military, I have never seen this level of support," he said.

************************************************************

The sounds of silence

By Ian Gillespie

There were words, to be sure. And there were sights, as well.

But often, it was the sounds - and sometimes even the stunning absence of sound - that stood out at yesterday's funeral for Trooper Mark Wilson at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church.

There were, for instance, the words of Rev. Graham Keep.

"This thing called life is temporary . . . and in this moment, we are called to look at our own lives," said Keep, whose words were also carried by loudspeaker to mourners who couldn't find a seat in the church and gathered in the church's basement and parking lot.

"Mark's death was not in vain," Keep said. "It's a call to all of us to be peacekeepers in our lives."

There were words, to be sure. Though Keep clearly understood how such things can fall so short.

"What can we say in a time like this?" he asked the mourners. "Words often seem empty."

And there were sights.

There were the lines of firefighters, police officers and members of the RCMP and military in their crisp uniforms and polished boots; the rows of medals dangling from veterans' chests; the flag-draped coffin bearing the remains of the London native, who was killed in the early morning hours of Oct. 7 near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

There was the sight of Wilson's family, their sorrow almost too visible for an onlooker to bear.

And there were sounds, too.

There was, for instance, the eerie silence of about 360 pupils from nearby St. Robert elementary school - the same
school that Wilson attended as a boy some 30 years ago.

The children lined the west side of Admiral Drive and the edge of the church parking lot. They stood - their voices silent - holding page-size replicas of the Canadian flag, many of them coloured with pencil and crayon.

These were just children - kids from kindergarten through Grade 8, kids whose brains and bodies crave noise and movement, kids hard-wired to run and jump and yell.

And yet, these children stood silent. And patient. And still.

All you could hear was the rustling of their little paper flags.

When the hearse arrived at 11 a.m., there was the sound of applause. Not loud or raucous. But sad and gentle, like a morning rain.

There was the sound of shuffling feet as eight soldiers lifted Wilson's coffin from the hearse.

There was the sound of an airplane droning overhead. There was the sound of gun butts striking asphalt as soldiers from the Royal Canadian Dragoons snapped into position. There was the sound of stifled sorrow - mere sniffles, really - that spoke of red eyes, respect and restraint.

Then later, when the service had ended, there were sounds of three London police motorcycles - their antennae bearing yellow ribbons that one now sees across this city far and wide - as they led the procession to the cemetery.

And again, there was applause.

And as the motorcade of mourners pulled out of the parking lot and turned on to Trafalgar Street, I asked one man, standing alone, what he was doing there.

"I'm here to honour a brother," the man said. "Although I didn't know him."

The man is named Mark Vandermaas. He served, he said, with the United Nations Emergency Force No. 2 in Egypt, near the Suez Canal, for six months in 1978. He was a private - a "vehicle technician" - based out of Toronto.

He showed up yesterday at about 11 a.m. then stood, for more than two hours, on the sidewalk across from the church.

"It's the least we can do," he says. "It's really tragic, but we have to fight evil wherever it is."

Vandermaas tells me he went downtown to sign the remembrance book set up in Wilson's honour at city hall.

"But I didn't know what to write," he says.

And then, as the big man turns away from me and stares across the road at the departing crowd, a single tear rolls down his cheek and drops to the ground, without a sound.


﻿************************************************************

The display of support from many, many ordinary people - especially the schoolchildren - as described was really moving. I hope that that gives some measure of support to the family.

At the cemetery, I ended up about three or four people back from the front row, facing the family across the coffin, gathered under one of those collapsible gazebo things. That was very, very hard, especially seeing whom I took to be Ben as he was saying good-bye to his Dad.

I am still not over it.


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## Trooper Hale

Thank you for that, it must have been a wonderful sight and i wish i could have been there to see it. Thank you for the post


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## The Bread Guy

This, from the _London Free Press_:


> When he lands in Kandahar next month, Sean Wilson will drop to his knees and touch the ground his brother walked and died on.
> 
> Three years ago, Wilson's brother, Trooper Mark Wilson, 39, became the 40th Canadian killed in Afghanistan, and the mission's first combat casualty from London.
> 
> For six months, Wilson will live among the men and women his brother served with -- he's leaving in the first two weeks of January to work as a civilian at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, part of a group of civilians who work for the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency, a division of the Canadian Defence Department.
> 
> "This is kind of a pilgrimage for him," Wilson said of his late brother, a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He was killed in October 2006 when his armoured vehicle was hit by a bomb west of Kandahar.
> 
> "I want to be a part of this mission. I want to see the land where my brother gave his life."
> 
> Wilson has thought long and hard about what it'll be like to get off a plane in Kandahar and step onto the soil that took his brother. He gets tears in his eyes just thinking about it.
> 
> "I need to do this for him," he says ....


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