Funeral of Sergeant Christos Karigianis

The funeral service for SergeantChristos Karigiannis
will take place at
Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church,
219 Sainte-Rose Boulevard
Laval (Que)
on Saturday, June 30, 2007
at 11:00 a.m.

    At the family's request, media may attend the
funeral but will be restricted to the exterior of
the church. Interment will follow the funeral service
at the Sainte-Dorothée cemetary in Laval. The
interment will be open to the media but the family
wishes to mourn privately, hence no interviews will
be given. A 20-soldier escort with accompany the casket
and its pallbearers to the church where they will
be greeted by a 12-soldier ceremonial guard.
Sergeant Karigiannis was a member of the 3rd
Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light
Infantry(3 PPCLI),based in Edmonton.
He and two other Canadian soldiers died at
approximately 8 a.m. Kandahar time June 20,
when the vehicle in which they were traveling
struck a suspected improvised explosive
device on the main road, approximately 40 km
west of Kandahar City. The incident occurred
while the soldiers were conducting resupply
operations between checkpoints.
The Karigiannis family wishes that in lieu of
flowers, a donation be given to a charitable
organization such as CARE,in his memory.
In this manner, they hope to contribute to the
reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Chris' Obituary:

KARIGIANNIS, SGT. CHRIS PPCLI,
SEPTEMBER 20, 1976 JUNE 20, 2007
Chris was a proud and dedicated member of the Canadian
Forces. He will always be remembered for his strong
convictions and devotion to excellence. Chris is
survived by his mother Niki, his brothers Peter and
Spiro, his sisters-in-law Nancy and Panagiota and his
niece Anastasia. The funeral service will be held at
11:00 a.m. on Saturday,June 30 at Church Ste-Rose
de Lima, 219 Ste-Rose Blvd. in Laval.
Interment will follow at the Ste-Dorothée Cemetery in
Laval.There will be no public viewing. In lieu
of flowers, the family requests donations be made to
charities such as CARE,to help build schools and
hospitals in Afghanistan.

June 30th 2007

Pallbearers carry the casket of Sgt. Christos Karigiannis
after his funeral service at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church
in Laval, Que. on Saturday June 30, 2007,
followed by his mother Niki Karigiannis
(second from right). Photo by CP Peter McCabe

In Montreal, eight members of the Princess Patricia Canadian

Light Infantry slowly carried the remains of Karigiannis under

sunny skies into a Laval church.

The 31-year-old was a member of the Princess Pat's 3rd

Battalion based in Edmonton.Soldiers stood guard as

Karigiannis's family followed his casket inside St. Rose Church,

where over 1,000 people filed by.

The words, "he was a humble man, fiercely proud of his

profession" drifted outside to waiting media - barred from the

funeral itself -- from a church service given in Greek, English

and French. Afterward, soldiers stressed the challenges their

fallen friend was willing to confront. "Nothing seemed to be to

big for him to get around or to overcome." said Sgt. Dwayne

MacDougall, who served in Canada with Karigiannis.

Church bells rang out as friends and family followed Karigiannis’s

flag-draped casket through a military procession.

Verses of O Canada echoed from the open doors of Sainte-Rose

-de-Lima Church during the ceremony. While the casket was

carried from the church, a tear rolled down the left cheek of a soldier

in the procession. Master Corporal Emily Cavanaugh was trained

by Karigiannis as a cadet. She says he was an inspirational

instructor. Cavanaugh says he told young trainees to love

whatever it was they chose to do.

Soldiers Returned Home

CFB TRENTON, Ont.

June 24-07 1730

A bag piper played three separate tributes to the latest Canadian casualties killed in Afghanistan as the bodies of three Canadian soldiers were returned to Canadian soil Sunday.

A grey military aircraft carrying the bodies of Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, Cpl. Stephen Bouzane and Pte. Joel Wiebe flew into this eastern Ontarion military base to be greeted by grieving family members.

Gov. Gen Michaelle Jean, former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Gen. Rick Hillier were also present.

As a former governor general, Clarkson attended the ceremony in her military capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of Edmonton's 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the unit in which all three men served.

Before the plane landed, Hillier addressed a throng of supporters who lined the gates surrounding the tarmac while waving Canadian flags.

Trenton, Ont. resident Brenda Miller said she stands outside the gates of the tarmac during every repatriation ceremony.

"I wish they'd come home better," she said, waving a small flag inscribed with the names of all 60 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.

"I'm just so upset I can't even talk tonight."

Once the doors of the military aircraft opened, the soldiers' caskets were carried from the aircraft in descending order of rank.

Visibly-emotional family members of each soldier were physically supported by one another as their loved ones completed their final journey home.

Karigiannis' body was the first to be lifted from the aircraft and returned to his grieving family. One relative wept and held her face in her hands as she welcomed him home.

As Karigiannis' body was loaded into a waiting hearse, Bouzane's family held onto one another as they prepared to receive him.

One family member held out a pink rose and kissed it as soldiers marched across the tarmac bearing Bouzane's casket.

Another clutched a framed photograph of the 26-year-old.

After paying personal tributes to their fallen soldier, Bouzane's family stood aside as the casket containing Wiebe's body was carried from the aircraft.

Speaking last week, Wiebe's fiancee Anna Thede described Wiebe as a committed soldier who was devoted to family, adding that he had life-long aspirations for a military career.

"This job is what Joel chose. This is the job that Joel wanted," she said. "He was very proud to be a part of this."

The three soldiers were killed Wednesday when their unarmoured vehicle, known as a Gator, was struck by a roadside bomb west of Kandahar.

The soldiers' deaths caused the Canadian military to suspend the use of Gators outside secure compounds.

Roadside bombs are responsible for more than one-third of the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

We Shall Remember Them

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our Angels

A nation mourns Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane, who died serving his country in Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 20, 2007.Bouzane was among three soldiers killed Wednesday when the small, all-terrain vehicle they were riding in hit a roadside bomb. A native of Newfoundland who grew up and continued to reside in Scarborough, Ontario, Bouzane was a member of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.Remembered by family as a quiet and reserved young man, Bouzane was on his first tour of duty in Afghanistan where he hoped to make a difference.He joined the army in 2003, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

To view or sign the guestbook for Cpl Bouzane

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A nation mourns Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe, who was killed serving his country in Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 when a vehicle he was riding in struck a roadside bomb.The 22-year-old Edmonton native leaves behind his fiancé, Anna Thede, whom he planned to marry upon returning from his first tour of duty in February 2008.Wiebe, a member of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, will be remembered by friends and family as a quiet man, who was always eager to help.

To view or sign the guestbook for Private Wiebe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A nation mourns, Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, who died serving his country in Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 20, 2007.Karigiannis and two other members of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry were killed when a vehicle they were riding in struck a roadside bomb. An expert skydiver, he was a former member of the Skyhawks, a group of soldiers specializing in complex sky diving formations.

To View or Sign a guestbook for Sgt. Karigiannis

They are Coming Home

Joint Task Force Afghanistan and other soldiers from the ISAF community pay tribute to fallen soldiers during a ramp ceremony held at the Kandahar Air Field. Soldiers slowly carry their fallen comrades, Sergeant Christos Karigiannis, Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane, and Private Joel Vincent Wiebe, to the waiting C130 Hercules transport for the journey back to Canada All three soldiers were members of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI) from CFB Edmonton and at approximately 7:49 am Kandahar time 20 June 2007 the three Canadian soldiers were 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. 3 PPCLI members is part of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (2 RCR) Battle Group of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg).
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Bless their families and friends ~ here and in Afghanistan.

-

Dignity and Tragedy Define Ramp Ceremony
Private Joel Wiebe got a dignified and glorified send-off under a dazzling crescent moon yesterday evening, but a military ramp ceremony was hardly the sort of celebration he deserved on what would have been his 23rd birthday.

He was accompanied at the back of a Hercules departing for Trenton, Ont., by the bodies of quiet Newfoundlander Corporal Stephen Bouzane and fun-loving Sergeant Chris Karigiannis.

The ramp ceremony for those killed by a bomb explosion on an off-road trail on Wednesday has become a dreaded but essential part of the military culture, having ushered 60 bodies aboard Canada-bound Hercules for the trip home in tragically unexpected style.

Yet even the send-off after three deaths this week, with more than 1,200 soldiers bearing silent witness to their sacrifice, probably won't rate the sort of national news attention of a few years ago. The novelty has clearly worn off in Canada, amid the rising volume of ceremonies.

But behind the scenes of grief that spill out across the airport tarmac is a precise military operation that occurs within minutes of casualties being inflicted.

When the phone rang in Sgt. Maj. Jim Young's office on Wednesday morning to alert him to three VSAs -- rather cold military jargon for "vital signs absent" -- it set in motion a strict protocol, complete with checklists, tape measures, scripts and maps for correct military positions.

The U.S. mortuary was alerted to the spectre of incoming bodies, identification teams were called to confirm the names of the deceased, a pastor was summoned and troops from the victims' unit were recalled to base.

"This is not a funeral service. Our priority is to get the individuals out of Kandahar with as much dignity and respect as possible," Sgt. Maj. Young said in an interview.

And that is exactly what he delivered yesterday in flawless stopwatch precision.

Hours earlier, it had been a different story, and there were hints of trouble in the air. Inbound troops from the victims' company called to say they were running late, threatening to run out of time for a shower, haircut and the rehearsal.

Then Sgt. Maj. Young's truck battery died as he was rushing to chalk the tarmac outline for the military lineup. Finally, a British Hercules was intruding on ramp ceremony space and running late for its departure. It was finally ordered to move and load in another location.

Meanwhile, at his office, Padre Malcolm Berry was polishing the address he would deliver, keeping in mind the religious wishes of the victims. He was having a different sort of day after learning he'd driven the wrong vehicle to work, his key somehow starting someone else's car. For a while there, he stood jokingly accused of being a car thief.

Capt. Randy Adams had rushed back from reconstruction duties in Kandahar City to serve as ceremonial bagpiper for the 17th time in two years, after brass discovered the other regulars were on leave.

You wonder how he can still want to play an instrument linked mostly to a pre-funeral ritual. "We're always called upon to do things we don't enjoy. I look at this as the one way I can help out in the process."

Two hours before the event, there was a military visitation for friends and comrades. If the ramp ceremony is a public display of goosebumps and wet eyes, the visitation is all grief and tears in private.

The compound outside the mortuary was draped in white, the better to mask the surrounding piles of containers and trailers.

Soldiers huddled in small groups or slumped beside armoured vehicles after paying their respects at the three aluminum "transfer cases" draped with the flag, each with the soldier's picture on top. It was crushing sadness personified.

The real event started on schedule to the sound of armoured carriers bearing the bodies rumbling toward the airport.

The aluminum "transfer cases" were unloaded in absolute silence. Then the pastor preached (nicely and briefly), the piper piped (well), the pallbearers marched while trying to keep their emotions in check and it was over.

Less than half an hour later, the Hercules left the mourning behind and was winging its way from the base.

Yet another farewell salute was over, completed with gut-wrenching emotion and flawless execution.

But perhaps the saddest part of all is that ramp ceremonies have been perfected through far too much practice. It would be delusional but nice to think this finely tuned military expertise will no longer be required.

Repatriation at CFB Trenton

Fallen soldiers Cpl Stephen Frederick Bouzane of Newfoundland; Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe of Alberta and Sgt. Christos Karigiannis of Quebec, all of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry are scheduled to arrive at CFB Trenton Sunday evening, 24 June, at 5:30 p.m. CFB Trenton personnel have announced. They are coming home.
Throughout Northumberland County, emergency services personnel and civilians will be gathering on bridges spanning the highway to honour the fallen military personnel and their families.

Message from Governor General

Jun 20, 2007 21:31 ET

Message from her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean,

Governor General of Canada, on the Death of Three Canadian Soldiers

"While in Yukon on our official visit, my husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I were grieved to learn of the deaths of three Canadian soldiers, when their vehicle struck an explosive device near Kandahar City, Afghanistan.The loss of Sergeant Christos Karigiannis, Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane and Private Joel Vincent Wiebe deeply saddens us. All three were members of the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. They served this country with honour and distinction. We owe them our greatest respect.This tragic accident reminds us of the danger our Canadian Forces face every day in Afghanistan. They nonetheless remain committed to bringing peace and security to this country devastated by decades of chaos.All Canadians join me in offering sincerest condolences to the family, friends and comrades of these courageous men."

Michaelle Jean