http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=6112b773-a943-4df7-939f-986d8f7b6f41&k=90845Body of Canada's latest fallen soldier returns home to grieving family
Brett Popplewell, Canadian Press
Published: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 Article tools
* * * * CFB TRENTON, Ont. (CP) - The body of a Canadian soldier killed in an accident in Afghanistan was returned to Canada on Tuesday to his distraught widow and grieving family members.
A piper played a mournful lament as the flag-draped coffin of reserve Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt was escorted by military pallbearers to a waiting hearse.
His wife of nine months, Darcy, found support from two servicemen who held her up by the arms as she fought back tears at the sight of her husband's flag-draped coffin.
She gathered just enough strength to kiss a single red rose and place it on the coffin before almost collapsing if not for the two men holding her upright.
Too weak to stand, she was later escorted by wheelchair to a waiting limousine.
Arndt's father, three sisters and mother-in-law were joined on the tarmac by Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier.
A handful of civilians also joined outside the military base to wave Canadian flags and show support for the fallen soldier and his bereaved family.
Arndt, 31, died after a large truck collided head-on with a Canadian G-Wagon that was part of a resupply convoy, about 35 kilometres southeast of Kandahar.
Canadian troops engaged in their increasingly dangerous mission were still grieving four fallen comrades who died last Thursday when they received news of Arndt's death.
Pte. Kevin Dallaire, Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller and Cpl. Christopher Reid were killed during fighting with Taliban forces west of Kandahar.
Their bodies were returned to CFB Trenton on Sunday evening.
Just two days after thousands of soldiers held an emotional ceremony in Kandahar to say goodbye to the four soldiers, they returned to the tarmac to mark Arndt's final journey home.
Arndt was a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, a regiment that had, until Saturday, escaped unscathed from a mission that has seen five Canadians killed in action in just the past week, and 24 since 2002.
Friends of the fallen soldier gathered in Edmonton on Sunday to remember Arndt's life and discuss the impact of his death.
Cpl. Greg Trudel, a close friend, said Sunday that Arndt loved the military.
"For Ray, he'd always wanted a brother. He'd always bugged his parents over the fact he didn't have a brother," said Trudel.
"And when he decided to join the army, he found the brothers he was looking for."
Arndt was due to return home in less than two weeks. He grew up in the Edson, Alta., area.
Three other soldiers in Arndt's vehicle - all from the same regiment - were injured in the accident. One has returned to duty, but two suffered serious injuries.
Cpl. Jared Gagnon and Cpl. Ashley VanLeuween arrived at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, on Sunday afternoon.
Gagnon was listed in very serious condition, while VanLeuween, who suffered a broken leg, ankle and ribs, was in stable condition.
Since first deploying to Afghanistan in 2002, 24 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed.
Canada has about 2,200 soldiers in and around Kandahar, where Taliban resistance is strong.
© The Canadian Press 2006
