MWO Mario Mercier R22e and MCpl Christian Duchesne 5 Fd Amb - 22 Aug 2007
- Thread starter Colin Parkinson
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My condolences to friends and family of the fallen 
~Rebecca
~Rebecca
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Rest in Peace Fallen Comrades (MWO Mercier, MCpl Duchesne, and Afghan interpreter). My prayers go out to your comrades, your families, and those injured in the explosion. This tragic event is another reminder that soldiers and civilians from foreign nations are working together with Afghans for the good of Afghanistan. Thank you for your contributions, many civilians, from both countries, will continue to benefit from your sacrifices.
SLP
SLP
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Colin P said:
I won't hijack this thread.............a Leopard Tank, with a mine roller is NOT a mine clearing vehicle. So perhaps before you come aboard someone who just experienced a life changing moment, you should cut him some slack. You don't seem to know what a mine clearing vehicle is either!
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RIP troops. Les pensées vont à la famille des défunts.
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Rest well brothers, you've earned it.
:'(
And to the Interpretor, may Allah give you peace, friend.
:'( And to the Interpretor, may Allah give you peace, friend.
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http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/10/27/4610161-cp.html
Soldiers still paying tribute and mourning loss of popular sergeant major
By Bill Graveland, THE CANADIAN PRESS
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan
There is something completely incongruous about a cute, cuddly children's toy strapped to the front of a vehicle capable of dispensing death.
The Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) is a favourite of the Canadian military and sports both a machine-gun and a 25-mm cannon. The Taliban refer to the cannon as the "magic gun" because once it hits a target the person disappears.
This Canadian base west of Kandahar is literally awash in ankle deep sand. The terrain is flat with the exception of mountains rising above the ever-changing landscape in the distance.
A row of LAVs stand at the ready - identical in nearly every way - right down to a teddy bears strapped to the front of each vehicle.
The bears are an ongoing tribute to Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the Royal 22nd Regiment - the sergeant major affectionately known to his charges as "Papa Bear."
A big, burly bear of a man, Mercier used to refer to his men as his 'little bear cubs' and his cubs miss him terribly.
Mercier and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance, died Aug. 22 when their LAV drove over a roadside bomb on a dusty hill in Zhari district, about 50 kilometres west of Kandahar. It happened after a successful daylong offensive against the Taliban.
Zhari and the Panjwaii districts, just to the south, have been Taliban hotbeds and the site of many battles involving Canadian troops over the last couple of years.
"We have them (the toy bears) on our LAVs as a commemoration of our sergeant major," said an emotional Sgt. Martin Painchault.
"The sergeant major, for me, was my father in my job," he said. "He was my God, my model."
Soldiers are generally not overly prone to sentimentality. There is a reason the expression "soldiering on" has been a catchphrase for the military for centuries. So the emotion these men feel for their fallen friend and mentor is rare.
"He was taking good care of us. He was like the father of the company," explained Pte. Francis Archambault from Val Cartier, Que.
"He was the one working really hard to fix the company. He chose every guy in the company. He knew us. We knew him."
But the military state of mind seemed to kick in at that moment.
"We all know that these things can happen and we have to get over it," Archambault shrugged.
Capt. Shawn Thompson, a member of the engineers from nearby Masum Ghar, said it is an honour when soldiers hold their leaders in such high esteem.
"He was well respected by the troops. It was a great loss, his troops certainly felt it," said Thompson.
Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, told The Canadian Press last Thursday that he had only met Mercier a few times but his reputation preceded him.
"I know him because I know so many like him: incredible soldiers who are first and foremost incredible Canadians," said Hillier.
"The incredible man that he was made him an incredible soldier and the people who worked with him will tell you that because they appreciated what he brought to this unit."
There is a large crude wooden cross in an other area of the camp in memory of both Mercier and Duchesne. Duchesne's nickname was 'Conan' while 'Mes P'tits Oursons' (My Little Bear Cubs) is carved beside Mercier's name.
At the bottom of the cross are the words "Nous resterons" - "We will stay."
Soldiers still paying tribute and mourning loss of popular sergeant major
By Bill Graveland, THE CANADIAN PRESS
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan
There is something completely incongruous about a cute, cuddly children's toy strapped to the front of a vehicle capable of dispensing death.
The Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) is a favourite of the Canadian military and sports both a machine-gun and a 25-mm cannon. The Taliban refer to the cannon as the "magic gun" because once it hits a target the person disappears.
This Canadian base west of Kandahar is literally awash in ankle deep sand. The terrain is flat with the exception of mountains rising above the ever-changing landscape in the distance.
A row of LAVs stand at the ready - identical in nearly every way - right down to a teddy bears strapped to the front of each vehicle.
The bears are an ongoing tribute to Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the Royal 22nd Regiment - the sergeant major affectionately known to his charges as "Papa Bear."
A big, burly bear of a man, Mercier used to refer to his men as his 'little bear cubs' and his cubs miss him terribly.
Mercier and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance, died Aug. 22 when their LAV drove over a roadside bomb on a dusty hill in Zhari district, about 50 kilometres west of Kandahar. It happened after a successful daylong offensive against the Taliban.
Zhari and the Panjwaii districts, just to the south, have been Taliban hotbeds and the site of many battles involving Canadian troops over the last couple of years.
"We have them (the toy bears) on our LAVs as a commemoration of our sergeant major," said an emotional Sgt. Martin Painchault.
"The sergeant major, for me, was my father in my job," he said. "He was my God, my model."
Soldiers are generally not overly prone to sentimentality. There is a reason the expression "soldiering on" has been a catchphrase for the military for centuries. So the emotion these men feel for their fallen friend and mentor is rare.
"He was taking good care of us. He was like the father of the company," explained Pte. Francis Archambault from Val Cartier, Que.
"He was the one working really hard to fix the company. He chose every guy in the company. He knew us. We knew him."
But the military state of mind seemed to kick in at that moment.
"We all know that these things can happen and we have to get over it," Archambault shrugged.
Capt. Shawn Thompson, a member of the engineers from nearby Masum Ghar, said it is an honour when soldiers hold their leaders in such high esteem.
"He was well respected by the troops. It was a great loss, his troops certainly felt it," said Thompson.
Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, told The Canadian Press last Thursday that he had only met Mercier a few times but his reputation preceded him.
"I know him because I know so many like him: incredible soldiers who are first and foremost incredible Canadians," said Hillier.
"The incredible man that he was made him an incredible soldier and the people who worked with him will tell you that because they appreciated what he brought to this unit."
There is a large crude wooden cross in an other area of the camp in memory of both Mercier and Duchesne. Duchesne's nickname was 'Conan' while 'Mes P'tits Oursons' (My Little Bear Cubs) is carved beside Mercier's name.
At the bottom of the cross are the words "Nous resterons" - "We will stay."
