1985 - 30 Oct 2009
By Valerie Fortney, Calgary Herald,
"My first week down and things are going great --it's sunny, the food is good and all the free water I can drink--who could ask for more!"
With this last posting on his Facebook page Oct. 29, Calgarian Steven Marshall gave his friends and family one final reminder of his mischievous sense of humour.
The next day, the 24-year-old found himself surveying a landscape both alien and wondrous: grape, wheat and marijuana fields that grow so high they resemble jungle forests. As he got his footing in the Panjwai, the relatively lush region once known as Afghanistan's fruit basket, the dark-haired soldier with a charming smile was more interested in the human inhabitants.
As a sapper (a military engineer equivalent of a private) with the Canadian Forces, his job was to look for women and children, their absence a sure sign of Taliban insurgents in the vicinity, along with the Taliban's signature calling card, Improvised Explosive Devices, planted along the roadside.
Later that same day, at 4:30 p.m. October 30 to be precise, one of those horrible inanimate killers found him first. Only two years into his military career and days after he excitedly arrived for overseas duty, the gregarious young man became the sixth Calgarian and the 133rd Canadian soldier to lose his life in this war against an often faceless enemy: 23 of the 27 Canadians who died in Afghanistan this year alone have been killed by IEDs. Steven, who so wanted to make a difference in the lives of ordinary Afghans, died in the same restive district that took the life of fellow Calgarian Capt. Nichola Goddard in 2006, and only fifteen kilometres away from where another Canadian soldier, Justin Boyes of Saskatoon, was killed 48 hours earlier by the same insidious weapon in this counterinsurgency war.
On Tuesday afternoon, Steven, who served with the Edmonton based 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, which is attached to the 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group, came home one last time, in a flag-draped coffin.
The pomp and pageantry could be lifted from any military funeral of the last century: a solemn procession led by a lone bag piper, followed by Royal Canadian Mounted Police looking regal in the scarlet uniforms, scores of decorated veterans marching behind, and the slow, heartbreaking shuffle of family members young and old. But when Evan Mc-Dade stands at the podium to eulogize his friend, we are thrust back into present-day harsh reality.
The Central Memorial High School grad loved Slurpees, dim sum, Trivial Pursuit and YouTube. His favourite drink was Jack Daniels, and his favourite team the Calgary Flames. McDade, through the occasional cracked voice and tears, remembers his friend through a host of cultural markings of the 21st century.
It shouldn't come as a surprise then, that while this official send-off goes on at the massive Centre Street Church in northeast Calgary, over the past few days a gathering has been taking place in cyberspace, on Steven's Facebook page--where the uninitiated can learn that he was a fan of Johnny Depp, indie band Snow Patrol, and believed that, "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night, only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Using the social networking site as a place to voice their sorrow, many of Steven's 380 Facebook friends, as well as others, write on his wall to express their devotion. "You were the first boy to dance with me at a junior high dance;" "It's funny, I keep clicking on your page thinking something will change, that this all just isn't real:" and "You will be in my heart as I stand to remember you on November 11."
If we ever needed reminding that in 2009, the wearing of poppies on our lapels is no mere nod to a bygone era but an acknowledgment of the sacrifice of Canadians in the here and now, it is the final send-off of this modern-day soldier on the eve of Remembrance Day: both by the citizens of his hometown, and his contemporaries, as they say goodbye to a young man who died in the land where poppies grow high, and one simple misstep can mean dismemberment or death.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
By Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
CALGARY — The family, friends and comrades of a Calgary soldier killed overseas gathered to say goodbye Tuesday on the day before the country as a whole remembers its war dead.
Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, was the sixth Calgary soldier to die in Afghanistan and was mourned by three families — those related by blood, those who knew him through longtime friendships and others who also wear a military uniform.
Also paying their respects were RCMP officers in red serge, city police officers, uniformed firefighters and Alberta sheriffs.
To the mournful cry of bagpipes, a military honour guard shouldered the flag-draped casket through the cavernous entry of a church in northeast Calgary. Inside, they walked beside their fallen friend, fists clenched in crisp white gloves.
Red poppies graced the lapels and blouses of the few hundred people attending.
Longtime friend Evan McDade told mourners Marshall was funny, loyal and willing to stand up for his country.
"You're my hero, friend and brother," he said.
Pastor Miriam Mollering praised Marshall for his courage to stand up for his country and fight overseas.
Marshall died Oct. 30 after he stepped on a landmine while on patrol about 10 kilometres outside of Kandahar. He had been serving with the Edmonton-based 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment at the time and had been in Afghanistan for only a week. He is the 133rd Canadian soldier to be killed in that country.
The serious picture of Marshall dressed in fatigues and beret that took centre stage at the funeral was juxtaposed against an image of him with a full smile and the hint of dimples.
It was a sentiment echoed in a statement released by his family last week and reprinted in the memorial program.
"Always quick with a laugh or a joke, his trademark was certainly his ability to tell stories and show off his impersonation skills that always made us laugh," it read.
Outside, the crowd gathered to watch the hearse drive away, accompanied by a police escort.
It left the church parking lot, driving under a makeshift canopy of flags held by firefighters standing in the aerial buckets of two fire trucks.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
If there are tears in Murray Marshall's eyes at today's funeral service, they represent more than a father's natural sorrow over the loss of his son.
"It'll be pride," said Murray, the father of Sapper Steven Marshall.
Of that, there can be no doubt. To speak with Murray about his 24-year-old son, killed Friday in an Afghanistan bomb blast, is to talk with a dad who can't praise his boy too highly.
This was a young man full of honour and courage, and for him to die serving his country -- well, Murray's heart may be broken, but it's also overflowing with admiration and respect for Steven.
"From the time he was young, he was fun-loving and adventurous, but he was also very respectful of others -- he had a lot of those old-world values that we seem to be losing," said Murray.
"He was an outstanding young man."
Getting over the initial grief wasn't easy, admits the 51-year-old carpenter.
It all started with the phone call from his sobbing daughter, telling him there'd been a terrible accident.
"At first I thought she meant the grandkids, but the moment she said 'Afghanistan' I knew. A phone call like that is the lowest thing that can ever happen to you," said Murray.
He admits to feeling the same unspoken dread shared by parents with kids in the military -- you know the worst can happen, but you keep your thoughts to yourself, for fear of passing your worries onto your child.
"When they're kids, the worst that can happen to them is having teeth knocked out during hockey, but that you can put up with," said Murray.
"But when they're facing this..."
The family's daze of sorrow remained until Steven's body was returned to Canada last Tuesday, and his family joined the honorary procession from Trenton to Toronto.
Suddenly, remorse gave way to respect -- the grieving father said he knew then what his son had served for, and why Steven believed so strongly in his chosen career.
Murray describes an entire highway brought to a standstill, as the cars carrying Steven and his family passed by.
Everywhere they looked, people were outside their cars, on roadsides and bridges, waving to them, saluting them and showing the Maple Leaf in a salute to the Calgarian who gave Canada his life.
"It was an amazing trip -- even school-buses had stopped, and the kids got out, and were waving flags and cheering," said Murray.
"You go from the worst kick in the ass to the greatest sense of pride you can ever feel for your son, and for this country."
At 1 p.m. today, at Calgary's Centre Street Church, Steven's friends, family and admirers will say goodbye at a service with military honours.
He'll join five Calgary soldiers who've also paid the ultimate price for serving in Afghanistan.
The funeral is open to the public, says Murray, both to accommodate the legion of friends the affable sports fanatic made in his short life, and for those who wish to honour a fallen Canadian soldier.
"We want it to be open to the public so as many of his friends can be there as possible, but the other side of it is this is a soldier who sacrificed himself and was killed in combat," said Murray.
"He also belongs to the people of Calgary and Canada."
Still, the family understands Steven is just one soldier -- and that's the reason the service was rushed to take place today, instead of tomorrow, on Remembrance Day.
Murray said Steven wouldn't have wanted to draw attention away from a day that's meant for all people who've served under the Canadian Flag.
"Remembrance Day is a time for all of them, and it's not right for one person to be in the spotlight -- he wouldn't have wanted that," said Murray.
"My son deserves whatever honours he receives, but Remembrance Day is for all of them, including the ones still over in Afghanistan.
"Those kids have earned the right to be honoured -- those kids are heroes, as much as anyone who fell in battle."
Last Updated: 9th November 2009, 1:10am
As Canada's military personnel serving in Afghanistan prepare to mark Remembrance Day to honour the country's fallen, Calgary's latest soldier killed in combat won't be far from mind.
Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, who will be laid to rest tomorrow in a funeral service at the Centre St. Church, was killed Oct. 30 by a roadside bomb, becoming Canada's 133rd soldier -- and the sixth Calgarian -- to die during the Afghan mission.
For those like Calgarian Capt. Michael ter Kuile, a veteran police officer, Remembrance Day will be a poignant time to reflect and honour the memory of his friend Marshall, who he described as a "classic Canadian hero."
"Their memory and the memory of all of those who have been taken from us are never far from our thoughts," he said in e-mail correspondence to the Sun from Kandahar, where he is part of Task Force 309, the Provincial Reconstruction Team aimed at rebuilding Afghanistan's ravaged infrastructure.
"In my service with the Canadian Forces and as a police officer with the Calgary Police Service, I have known too many who have been taken from us in the prime of their lives," said ter Kuile. "When one is part of the community that serves, whether as a police officer or as a member of the Forces, any time there is a tragedy like this, you feel as though you lost a member of your own family."
He said Marshall should be remembered in his city and country as someone who was "strong, humble, quiet when he needed to be, a solid performer with a constant smile and a great sense of humour and a firm handshake.
"He was a great example of the best that Calgarians have to offer," said ter Kuile.
Marshall's casket arrived in Calgary yesterday afternoon and was escorted by soldiers and police officers from the airport to Pierson's Funeral Home on 17 Ave. S.E.
On Saturday, hockey fans at the Pengrowth Saddledome paused in a moment of silence to honour Marshall before his beloved team, the Calgary Flames, faced off against the New York Rangers.
Marshall was a member of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton and serving as a member of the Task Force 3-09 Battle Group.
Calgary Herald
The body of Sapper Steven Marshall, a fallen Calgary soldier, was returned to his hometown Sunday.
His casket arrived at the airport in the afternoon and was carried in a hearse in a procession through Calgary streets.
Marshall's public funeral is planned for Tuesday.
Marshall, 24, became the 133rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan when a land-mine exploded southwest of Kandahar city on Oct. 30.
The Afghan war has claimed the lives of six Calgary soldiers.
Marshall served with the 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton.
His public funeral is planned for Tuesday at the Centre Street Church, 3900 2nd St. N.E. It begins at 1 p.m.
In a statement last week, Marshall's family said he "will be missed terribly by his family, friends and many people who loved him and were fortunate enough to have known him in this life.
"Despite our grief, we are immensely proud of Steven as such an incredible young man."
His body was returned to Canadian soil last Tuesday in an emotional repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton in Ontario.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
The Canadian Press, Updated: Mon. Nov. 2 2009 3:42 PM ET
TRENTON, Ont — The family of the latest Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan says he died doing what he loved.
Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, was killed Friday when an improvised explosive device detonated southwest of Kandahar City.
The military in Edmonton, where he was based, issued a statement from Marshall's family Monday in which he was remembered as a "soldier's soldier."
The family said he was excited about military life and had found his niche in the army.
"Steven was very excited about what the military had to offer," they said. "While he was training for his tour, he would talk endlessly about what he learned and he would eagerly say, 'I wonder what I will get to do next?"'
As a sapper, Marshall was on the front lines of efforts to minimize the threat presented by improvised explosive devices. He was working in an area of Afghanistan thought critical for the future success of a counter-insurgency strategy devised earlier this year.
He was so eager about his work that his family expected he would teach others in the military some day.
Marshall, a member of 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, had been in Afghanistan less than two weeks when an explosion hit his patrol in Panjwaii district, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. He was the only person killed in the blast.
Marshall grew up in Calgary and was a passionate fan of the Flames hockey team. His family said he was "undeniably in love with the game" and was himself a competitive and skilled player.
He also had a flair for storytelling and was quick with a laugh or a joke.
"His trademark was certainly his ability to tell stories and show off his impersonation skills that always made us laugh. Not only could Steven brighten up a room, he was the life of it, too."
But he was most remembered as a loving brother and son, who was devoted to his family and friends.
"Steven was an attentive listener, sensitive, bold and goofy at times. He was truly a breath of fresh air. His family was of utmost importance to him, and he always made an effort to put us first.
"The slightest gestures, such as letting him sit in the comfy chair or taking him out for lunch, would be met with a big glow of appreciation."
The family also recognized Marshall's fellow soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
"We would like to express our thanks for their friendship to him and their continued service in a mission in which he believed. You were his family, too, and he held you close in his heart."
Family members said they are immensely proud of "such an incredible young man."
"We looked up to you and will strive to live our lives as you did, with courage, dedication and an uplifting spirit."
The statement was signed off with the word "chimo," the cheer of Canadian military engineers.
Marshall's body is to arrive Tuesday at CFB Trenton in Ontario for a repatriation ceremony attended by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and other dignitaries.
His casket will then be taken along the Highway of Heroes to Toronto, where an autopsy will be performed.
Last Updated: 1st November 2009, 3:00am
As fellow soldiers sent the body of Sapper Steven Marshall home yesterday, grieving friends in Canada braced for the sorrowful return of their fallen comrade.
Kristin Brown, who trained with the Calgarian, said she hopes to be there when the 24-year-old's body arrives for repatriation in Trenton, Ont.
"It's still hard to believe he's gone, especially seeing how I received a message from him on Thursday ... he was so happy to be there," said the W Battery gunner from Fredericton, N.B.
"I've lost three, so far -- he was the third."
Yesterday, the fallen soldier's body began the journey home after a ramp ceremony in Kandahar Airfield.
Marshall, a member of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, was killed Friday when his patrol struck an explosive in Panjwaii district.
Marshall was raised in Calgary by Jerry McDade, who said the 24-year-old was his son in every sense but legally.
"Steve was a great guy with a great sense of humour -- he was a guy who always lit up any room," said McDade.
"We're very proud of Steve."
More than 2,300 Canadian and foreign troops were on the tarmac yesterday to pay last respects.
The young man, a Central Memorial high school grad, is the 133rd Canadian soldier to die in the Afghan mission, the second this week.
"Steven was a passionate hockey fan who loved his hometown Calgary Flames," padre Cpt. Steve Defer said in a eulogy on the tarmac.
"Those of us who knew him remember that he was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and ask nothing in return."
Brown said Marshall, affectionately dubbed "brown bear" by the adoptive family of his military brethren, was easy to be friends with.
"He had a big heart and an amazing sense of humour," she said.
As a sapper, Marshall was on the front lines of efforts to minimize threats presented by home-made bombs.
And according to friends, it is where he wanted to be.
"He was just so excited to go and do his part to help," Brown said.
"He died doing something he wanted to do and what he felt he had to do."
A fellow sapper, Christopher Eisner, said Marshall had a way of boosting morale -- even at the most trying of times -- during six months of hard training in 2008.
"It was hell and he managed to keep a smile on his face and he kept everyone going," he said.
"He had a hard life and knew how to take negativity and make it positive."
He said Marshall "always gave anything he did 110%" and "if he wasn't good at it, got good at it."
Military officials were meeting with Marshall's next-of-kin yesterday -- making final arrangements for a life ended too soon.
"He was excited to start a family when he found a nice woman to settle down with and make a family he didn't really have," Eisner said.
"He was a great guy, it will take a little time to accept it."
Travis Kaughman knew Marshall closer to home, played hockey and hanging out with him in Calgary.
He last saw him just before he was deployed.
"He was a little bit nervous of the unknown but he was excited to go help his country," he said, still trying to accept his friend's death.
"He just had an infectious personality -- you can't not like him."
-- With files from The Canadian Press
By Matthew Fisher, Canwest News Service
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Sapper Steven Marshall began the long air journey home to Alberta on Saturday after being solemnly remembered at a ramp ceremony that was attended by several thousand NATO soldiers and virtually every Canadian not on duty at the sprawling Afghanistan airfield.
The 24-year-old Calgarian was less than one week into his tour in Afghanistan when he stepped on a homemade landmine Friday while on a foot patrol southwest of Kandahar City. He was the second Canadian to die in this way this week in the volatile southern province.
Marshall served with the Edmonton-based 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, which is attached to the 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group. He was the 133rd Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
Before Marshall's flag-draped casket was carried to a CC-130 by eight fellow sappers, Padre Steve Defer encouraged the gathering to continue to be "steadfast for Queen and country."
The chaplain also remembered Marshall as "a passionate hockey fan who loved his hometown Calgary Flames."
Sapper Dustin Perry, 21, of Chilliwack, B.C., said that when the two young men were together in Canada, which was often, and the Flames and the Vancouver Canucks were playing, "It was definitely gloves off for me and Marshall. He was a very good hockey player. I was jealous of him. He tried to teach me how to stickhandle. We were looking forward to playing ball hockey together."
Marshall was also intelligent and very humourous, Perry said.
"Steve Marshall was the best friend anybody could have," he said. "His humanity brought out the best in you. He was the kind of guy who would do anything for you without asking anything in return."
Before leaving Canada they had a long discussion about the mission and "were excited because we were going to do what we had trained to do," he said.
In a message posted on the social networking website Facebook on Thursday, Marshall wrote: "My first week down and things are going great, its sunny, the food is good and all the free water I can drink, who could ask for more!"
Close friend Toni St. Clair said she feels her heart breaking at the loss of Marshall, who she called "a funny, charismatic and amazing man."
"His smile never failed to make people laugh, and his humour always lightened any mood or situation," she said in a letter submitted to the Calgary Herald.
"He was one of those brave guys who thought the Canadian army was his calling, and he was right. He was the happiest I'd ever seen him when he was talking about his job and his life in the army.
"Steve did his country an amazing service and deserves all the honour and celebration that comes with that, but for him, Mr. Humble, he was just like any other man who was completely happy in his life and career."
St. Clair said Marshall was a person she could text message in the middle of the night about "anything and everything."
"There was no limit to what we would talk about. I have no siblings, but have always felt that Steve and I were like that. But it was also more than that. I love Steve more than I ever thought I could love someone," she writes.
"I cry for him and feel my heart breaking, and it helps me realize the enormous effect he had on who I am today."
Combat engineers have among the most dangerous jobs in Afghanistan.
They are frequently tasked with finding and disabling the improvised explosive devices the Taliban has used with such success against coalition troops in the past two years. Twenty-three of the 27 Canadians to die in Afghanistan this year have been killed by IEDs.
Marshall had very specific military skills "for clearing the mines and IEDs that threaten our soldiers but also offer the real promise that the people might one day know a truly lasting freedom," Defer said.
Perry, who will return to the field soon, said a sapper's job was to "look for threats" through "different indications of pattern of life," such as whether women or children were present in a village.
"We try to figure out what they (the enemy) want to do before they do it," he said.
Marshall died about 15 kilometres away from where Lt. Justin Boyes, 26, of Saskatoon and the Princess Patricia's, was killed Wednesday by an improvised explosive device as he led a joint foot patrol with Afghan National Police. He was survived by his wife, Alanna, and his three-year-old son, James.
On Saturday, Boyes' body was returned to Canada, arriving at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario.
A bagpiper played as the soldier's flag-draped coffin was slowly marched by his fellow soldiers from a military aircraft to a waiting black hearse.
With a file from the Calgary Herald
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
The Canadian Press
Date: Saturday Oct. 31, 2009 4:44 PM ET
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The latest Canadian victim of the relentless IED campaign by insurgents in Afghanistan was headed home Saturday after his flag-draped coffin was loaded onto a military transport plane.
Sapper Steven Marshall, 24, of 11 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, was the sole casualty of an explosion that struck his patrol Friday in Panjwaii district, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.
More than 2,300 Canadian and foreign troops gathered under the floodlights on the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield to pay their last respects to the Calgary native.
"Steven was a passionate hockey fan who loved his hometown Calgary Flames," said padre Cpt. Steve Defer in a eulogy delivered by the Hercules C130 that will take Marshall to CFB Trenton.
"His ever present grin and sense of humour was contagious."
One of Marshall's best friends, Sapper Dustin Perry, also called attention to his penchant for cracking jokes, which he said brought out the best in everyone.
"Those of us who knew him remember that he was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and ask nothing in return," he said following the ramp ceremony.
"He always put his friends before himself."
Marshall and Perry had been close since training together at CFB Gagetown three years ago, despite Perry being partial to the Vancouver Canuck.
"When Vancouver and the Flames were playing it was gloves off for me and Marshall," Perry said.
"Marshall was a very competitive hockey player. I was always kind of jealous of his skills."
As a sapper, Marshall was on the front lines of efforts to minimize the threat presented by the home-made bombs.
"With his skills Steven held one of the critical keys to a lasting peace in Afghanistan," said Defer.
"Clearing the mines and IEDs that threaten our soldiers promises more than just our safety, but also, it offers the real promise that the people of Afghanistan might one day know a truly lasting freedom."
Marshall was working in an area thought critical for the future success of the counter-insurgency strategy initiated by Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance earlier this year.
The Canadian military is working to establish a series of model villages in the Dand district that will allow them to separate insurgents from the population at large by providing security and basic economic development.
Marshall was killed in the area around Belanday, which borders Panjwaii and was considered one of the success stories of the new strategy.
The Canadian Press, Saturday Oct. 31, 2009 12:48 PM ET
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The body of Sapper Steven Marshall has begun its journey home after a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.
Marshall, 24, was killed Friday afternoon when his patrol struck an IED in Panjwaii district, 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city.
More than 2,300 Canadian and foreign troops gathered on the airfield's tarmac to pay their last respects to Marshall before his flag-draped coffin boarded a military plane for Canada.
One of his friends, Dustin Perry remembered Marshall as someone with a great sense of humour.
Perry says Marshall always put others before himself.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- For the second time in three days, a young Canadian soldier whose tour in Afghanistan had just begun was killed when he stepped on a homemade landmine.
Sapper Steven Marshall had been in Afghanistan less than one week in what was to have been a six-month tour, when he died while on patrol in Panjwaii District about 10 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. No other Canadians were wounded in the incident.
"He was eager to get out and make a difference," said Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, the commander of Task Force Kandahar, who described Spr. Marshall as "a man of action" who would "be remembered as the life of his section."
"He had an incredible sense of humour and a contagious grin that never left his face, even during the most difficult moments. He would embrace any situation and always found and shared that silver lining with his mates."
The 24-year-old soldier was a combat engineer with the 11th Field Squadron, 1st Combat Engineer Regiment. The unit is attached to the Edmonton-based 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group, which only took over from the Quebec-based Royal 22nd Regiment two weeks ago.
Spr. Marshall was killed in action about 15 kilometres away from where Lt. Justin Boyes, 26, of Saskatoon, was killed on Wednesday by an improvised explosive device, as he led a joint foot patrol with Afghan National Police on Wednesday morning.
"At the time of his death, Steven was working toward securing the Panjwaii District in order to provide a more stable environment for the Afghan population living there," Brig-Gen. Vance said. "A stable environment is the best defence against insurgents, because they have no way to counter the positive effects that soldiers like Steven bring to bear."
The sapper joined the military just over two years ago. He was the 133rd Canadian to die in Afghanistan since the Chretien government first sent troops to Kandahar for several months in the spring of 2002, and the 125th to die since the Martin government ordered a battle group to undertake combat operations in the war-torn southern province in March 2006.
Improvised explosive devices similar to those that killed Spr. Marshall and Lt. Boyes began to be used to sinister effect by the Taliban about 30 months ago. Such bombs have killed 78 of the Canadians who have died in Afghanistan, including 23 of the 27 Canadians who have died in the country this year.
The loss this week of Spr. Marshall and Lt. Boyes, who was an infantryman with the Patricia's attached to a police mentoring team, brought an abrupt end to a nearly six-week period in which no Canadians had died. Before their deaths, the last Canadian to have been killed in action was Private Jonathan Couturier of the Royal 22nd Regiment. The 23-year-old Van Doo was killed by an IED on Sept. 17.
Canwest News Service
CEFCOM NR - 09.027 - October 30, 2009
OTTAWA – One Canadian soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated near his dismounted patrol approximately 10 km south-west of Kandahar City at approximately 4:30 p.m. Kandahar Time on 30 Oct 2009.
Killed in action was Sapper Steven Marshall, from the 1st Combat Engineering Regiment based in Edmonton, Alberta, serving as a member of the Task Force 3-09 Battle Group.
Sapper Marshall was conducting a foot patrol in the Panjwayi District when the incident happened. No other soldiers were injured in this incident.
We are all thinking of the family and friends of our fallen comrade during this sad time and our thoughts and prayers are with them. The commitment and sacrifice of our soldiers and their loved ones are helping to make a difference in the lives of the people of Kandahar Province. We will continue our mission as we remember the lives of our fallen soldiers.
Members of Task Force Afghanistan work with Afghan security forces for the greater good of Afghanistan. We remain focused and determined to bringing peace, stability and good governance despite the challenge imposed on us by the insurgents. We remain committed to Afghanistan.
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