Jered Stuffco, Canadian Press
Published: Tuesday, June 12, 2007
CLARINGTON, Ont. - Trooper Darryl Caswell's
family was waiting for a phone call from half a
world away Monday to mark his brother's birthday
at the family home in this quiet bedroom
community east of Toronto.
Instead came the knock at the door that every
military family dreads, and the terrible news
that Caswell had become the 57th Canadian
soldier to die in Afghanistan when his vehicle
struck an improvised explosive device.
"He was going to do all he could to call,"
Caswell's stepmother Christine said Wednesday.
"It wasn't the call we were expecting."
Caswell had six weeks left in Afghanistan before
he was set to return home, she added.
"He was due to come back on his birthday on the
31st of July," Christine said. "He was so young,
he had so much to do and (so much) he wanted to
do."
Caswell, 25, was a member of the Royal Canadian
Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont. He was
deployed with Reconnaissance Squadron from the
2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment
battle group.
He was riding in the lead vehicle in what the
Canadian Forces call a combat logistics patrol -
a perilous mission that involves restocking
forward operating bases and soldiers in the
field with everything from ammunition and
equipment to rations and water.
Darryl had been serving in Afghanistan since
January, his stepmother said. "He was doing what
he wanted to do and what he believed in."
The convoy was en route to the district of
Khakriz in northwestern Kandahar province when
it struck the IED - an ever-present threat in
Canada's ongoing battle with Taliban insurgents
in Afghanistan.
Caswell was providing security for the convoy as
it travelled along a secondary road 40
kilometres north of the city of Kandahar when it
was struck.
"Without security there can be no development in
Afghanistan, and thanks to soldiers like Trooper
Caswell, we are making significant progress,"
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a
statement that offered Canada's condolences to
the Caswell family.
"He has left a valuable legacy and we will be
forever grateful for the ultimate sacrifice he
has made for our country."
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and Defence
Minister Gordon O'Connor also offered their own
words of comfort to the family, and echoed the
sentiment that Caswell was doing important work
in Afghanistan.
"I speak not only for our party but all
Canadians when I say that we greatly appreciate
all the hard work and sacrifice (soldiers)
undertake on our behalf to help the people of
Afghanistan and bring stability to the region,"
Dion said.
Canadian forces have been in Khakriz working
with the Afghan National Army in Operation
Adalat, an offensive against insurgents in the
northern sector of Canada's command area - a
place where Canadian forces have already
suffered heavy losses.
Last year, an IED killed four Canadians in the
neighbouring district of Sha Wali Kot. Until
recently, Canadian forces had been slowly
pulling back from the region.
"The Taliban have consistently demonstrated
their disregard for peace and improvements to
the quality of life for those Afghan citizens
that desire peace," O'Connor said.
"We are making a difference and the Government
of Canada stands proudly with our soldiers,
sailors, airmen and airwomen as they strive to
protect Canadians, our interests and our
values."
Born in Bowmanville, Ont., Caswell grew up in
Clarington - an hour's drive east of Toronto -
and later lived with his mother in nearby
Whitby, as well as the southwestern Ontario
border city of Sarnia. When he turned 12, Darryl
moved to Clarington to live with his father and
stepmother.
"He just kept wanting to live with his dad. He
took to it like a fish to a worm," Christine
Caswell said. "He and his dad had a special
bond."
After high school, Caswell enrolled in the
Police Foundations program at Sir Stanford
Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont., before
joining the Canadian military in 2004.
© The Canadian Press 2007