Prayers are With Our Three Fallen Canadian Soldiers

It is with a heavy heart that I write this next piece. I reach out to hold the hand of families and friends of 3 courageous fallen soldiers today - as tears fall and my prayers are said for the families and friends -here and overseas. Today, military families grieve together.

Three Canadian soldiers were killed at approximately 7:49 a.m. Kandahar time today (11:19 pm est Tuesday evening) when the open-top all-terrain military vehicle in which they were traveling struck a suspected improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 40 kms west of Kandahar City. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints. The Department of National Defence notes: "The loss of every soldier is significant and is felt by all members of Joint Task Force Afghanistan. Notwithstanding that, we remain committed to the mission and the idea of peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan. We will not be deterred by the efforts of those who would deny the Afghan people a brighter future."

The identities of two of the three Canadian soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on June 20, 2007 are as follows:

Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane,

3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane Charlie Company 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) CFB Edmonton, Garrison Friday 16 Oct 2006 Corporal At approximately 7:49 am Kandahar time today, Corporal Bouzane was one of three Canadian soldiers killed when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints. The Charlie Company, 3 PPCLI members are part of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR) Battle Group of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg).
Cpl. Bouzane was born in Newfoundland and grew up in Scarborough, Ont., east of Toronto. Bouzane's sister, Kelly, described her brother as a quiet and reserved young man who was in Afghanistan "to make a difference."
She told the Canadian Press that her brother went to Afghanistan for his first tour in February. She last saw him at Christmas

Private Joel Vincent Wiebe,

3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Private Joel Vincent Wiebe Charlie Company 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) CFB Edmonton , Garrison Oct 16 2006. At approximately 7:49 am Kandahar time today (11:19 pm EST Tuesday evening), Private Wiebe was one of three Canadian soldiers killed when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an improvised explosive device on the main road, approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. The incident occurred while the soldiers were conducting resupply operations between checkpoints. The Charlie Company, 3 PPCLI members are part of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR) Battle Group of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg).
Wiebe, 22, had a fiancee in Edmonton where his regiment is based. Anna Thede had been counting the days until she would next see her fiancé, Private Joel Vincent Wiebe.
After months of separation, the young couple were planning to meet next week in Europe for a holiday. Instead, the Edmonton woman received the devastating news yesterday that Pte. Wiebe, had been one of three Canadian soldiers killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. Ms. Thede told reporters that her family and Pte. Wiebe's planned to release a public statement tomorrow.
On Ms. Thede's personal Facebook page, she wrote she is "heartbroken that her Joel is gone." The couple had been planning a winter wedding.

7:24 pm -The identity of the third Canadian soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on June 20, 2007 is as follows:-

Sergeant Christos Karigiannis,

3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

Sgt. Karigiannis, part of 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, was killed yesterday along with two others while travelling between military checkpoints, just a few hundred metres apart, about 40 kilometres west of Kandahar city. The three soldiers died when their small all-terrain vehicle hit a roadside bomb that insurgents apparently managed to plant without being detected. Kelly Spence, a captain in the air force's supply reserve, said Karigiannis was truly devoted to being a pilot and being in the military.
"He was a quiet guy with a good sense of humour," said Spence, 48, who supervised Karigiannis's pilot's course in Ste. Anne de Bellevue in 1993 and then worked with him periodically through the late 1990s. "He was a good leader, a real motivator and a great human being. "If you asked who would be a good ambassador for Canada over there (in Afghanistan), Chris would be the one." Karigiannis was a top-notch soldier qualified to parachute into dangerous situations, Spence added. "The whole world could be going to hell around him and he would keep his cool."
He had also been a member of the Eden North Skydive Team in Edmonton, where he had completed more than 750 jumps.

"Through their service they contributed to ensuring a safe and prosperous future for Afghanistan," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Maria Carl, ISAF spokeswoman.

The soldiers were travelling in an M-Gator vehicle (similar to pictured above) that is used to haul small loads, a Department of National Defence spokeswoman said in Ottawa. The six-wheeled M-Gators, manufactured by John Deere Ltd., run on diesel fuel.

Asked whether it was a judgment error to use an unarmoured vehicle in hostile territory, Grant replied: "No. This is an unfortunate accident."
"The vehicle was appropriate to the task at hand and the terrain they were travelling in."
But Grant added: "We will review our procedures and if we determine that we need to change them, then we will do so."