Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell Royal Canadian Dragoons
OTTAWA, Ontario – Cpl.  Robert Thomas James Mitchell was killed on 3 October in an attack on International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops. Both soldiers were members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ontario.

The attack occurred at approximately 4:50 p.m. Kandahar time, about 20 km west of Kandahar City, as ISAF forces worked to clear a route of mines and improvised explosive devices for a future road construction project.

A number of ISAF soldiers, including Canadians, suffered injuries in the attack. All of the injured Canadian soldiers have non-life threatening injuries. They are being treated at the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
 

"This is a time of mourning," Maj. James Follwell, regimental second-in-command with the Dragoons, told reporters in Petawawa yesterday. "Everyone in the regiment back home is feeling it, but we are also determined to ensure these soldiers and others did not die in vain."

Mitchell, who joined the military in 2001 and had been in Afghanistan since August, is survived by his wife, Leanne Hass, who was recently accepted into the OPP, and their three children, ages 2, 3 and 5.


Described as keen and well-respected, Mitchell was also remembered for his athleticism and "high-endurance personality." He competed in gruelling ironman races, Follwell said.

Mitchell had also applied to JTF2, the military's elite commando unit, Follwell said.