Family and friends in Yarmouth County mourning death of Canadian soldier

Family in friends in Yarmouth are mourning the death of a young Canadian soldier who died last Friday in Afghanistan.

Trooper Corey Hayes, 22, of the Royal Canadian Dragoons died when the armoured vehicle he was traveling in struck a roadside bomb in Shah Wali Khot District, about 20 kilometres northeast of Kandahar, a region in which the Taliban has stepped up attacks in the last few months. Trooper Jack Bouthillier, 20, was also killed and hree other Dragoons were wounded in the same blast.

Trooper Hayes, who grew up in New Brunswick, has family in Yarmouth, including a grandmother, an uncle, an aunt and cousins. Hayes has been described as a dedicated and proud soldier, who always put his friends and family before himself. He also, it has been reported, loved to make people laugh.

The roadside bomb that killed Troopers Hayes and Bouthillier was one of two separate bombings on March 20 that claimed the lives of Canadian soldiers. Two hours earlier Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli, 28, and Cpl. Tyler Crooks, 24 – both of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment – died in an explosion when an improvised explosive device detonated in the Zhari District, west of Kandahar City. Five other Canadian soldiers were wounded in the attack. An Afghan interpreter was also killed.

The bodies of the four fallen soldiers were being returned to Canada on Monday at 2 p.m. (local time, 3 p.m. Atlantic time) at 8 Wing, Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario. A military plane carrying four flag-draped caskets will be met by the the families of the soldiers. Also present will be Govenor General Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Vice-Admiral Denis Rouleau.

In a statement about the deaths of the soldiers, MacKay expressed his condolences, and those of all Canadians, to the family, friends and colleagues of the fallen soldiers. “These brave soldiers were participating in a joint operations in Kandahar province during the time of the incidents,” he said. “These dedicated soldiers were doing their part to ensure that Afghanistan will one day achieve and maintain peace and stability. Their loss was not in vain…The Canadian Forces family and Canadians everywhere will remain forever grateful for their sacrifice.”