We know now "Also Tuesday, military officials identified the fourth soldier killed on Sunday as Pte. William Jonathan James Cushley. They didn't provide his hometown or age."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/09/05/ramp-ceremony.html
Fallen soldiers honoured at emotional ceremony
Last Updated Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:06:20 EDT
CBC News
Canadian soldiers said goodbye on Tuesday to five comrades killed on Sunday and Monday while taking part in a major offensive in southern Afghanistan.
The remains of the Canadian soldiers were loaded into an airplane Tuesday at the Kandahar airfield. (CBC) Hundreds of soldiers gathered at Kandahar airfield and a piper played as five flag-draped coffins were carried onto a C-130 Hercules airplane. Some of the pallbearers were crying.
Some soldiers were bandaged, a few were in wheelchairs and many wiped away tears.
Also Tuesday, military officials identified the fourth soldier killed on Sunday as Pte. William Jonathan James Cushley. They didn't provide his hometown or age.
Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Mellish, Warrant Officer Richard Nolan and Cushley were killed on Sunday during fighting with Taliban insurgents in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province.
Pte. Mark Graham died on Monday when two U.S. aircraft mistakenly fired on a Canadian platoon during the operation.
All of the five dead soldiers were based at CFB Petawawa.
The Canadians are taking part in a major operation aimed at taking control of two dangerous districts west of Kandahar City.
The plane carrying the coffins is expected to arrive at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario late Wednesday.
Lieut. Grant McDonald, a platoon commander, told the Canadian Press that the deaths of the two warrant officers will affect the troops because warrant officers provide stability, but he said the soldiers are eager to return to the fight against the Taliban.
"The warrant officer is basically like a grandfather to the platoon," he said. "He provides advice and a lot of stability to the platoon and he's someone who the troops look towards as a strong leader."
After the ceremony, Canadian soldiers did return to the fight to clear the Taliban from their strongholds.
"No one wants to sit and wait for anything," McDonald said. "We'd rather get out there and take the fight to the enemy and give them our two cents."
Dedicated family men
Mellish and Nolan, the two warrant officers killed on the weekend, were described on Tuesday as dedicated family men who were proud to serve with the Canadian Forces.
The parents of Mellish, who was raised in Truro, N.S., said in a statement given to the Halifax Chronicle Herald newspaper that he was a loving husband devoted to his two sons.
"We are proud of Frank's service and accomplishments on this and previous missions," Barry and Sandra Mellish said in the release.
In a statement posted on the Department of National Defence website, the Mellish family said he was on his second deployment to Afghanistan. Mellish, 38, was an 18-year veteran of the Canadian Forces.
"He is greatly missed and our family will never be the same," the family said in the statement released by DND. "Frank had always dreamed of being a soldier and joined the army right after graduating from high school. Throughout his career, Frank was a driven soldier and never one to pass up a challenge or take the easy way out. Frank set an example for everyone he served with and was highly respected by his leaders and subordinates."
Combat troops returned to the battle following the ramp ceremony in Kandahar. (CBC) The family said Mellish knew that Afghanistan was a dangerous place but he loved being a soldier.
"He was aware of the risks and accepted them as part of getting the job done. Frank would not have wanted to be anywhere other than in Afghanistan serving beside the friends and fellow soldiers that he trained with."
Nolan, meanwhile, was characterized on Tuesday as a devoted soldier and father, according to Sarah Proulx, his next-door neighbour in Petawawa. Proulx said the community is still in shock. He and his common-law partner, also serving in Afghanistan, were raising four children who were being looked after by Nolan's mother.
"I'm still numb. I can't believe that it happened," Proulx said. "Rick's been only gone a month. We talked many times about them going over, and they said, 'That's our job. We're soldiers.'"
Graham, who grew up in Hamilton, Ont., was described as a gifted athlete who excelled in track and field. His family gathered in a Hamilton bungalow on the weekend to mourn his death.
Fighting the Taliban, rebuilding the country
Thirty-two Canadian soldiers have died since Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan in early 2002. Canada has about 2,200 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, mainly in Kandahar.
In addition to fighting the Taliban insurgency, Canadians are helping to rebuild the country which was left in ruins after decades of war.
The five deaths during the most recent fighting, known as Operation Medusa, are the most sustained by Canada within 24 hours since early 2002.
With files from the Canadian Press