Cpl. Brent Poland (April 8, 2007)

Canadian Press

SARNIA, Ont. — A soldier who was laid to rest in this southwestern Ontario town died while fulfilling his destiny and following a long-held personal dream, family members told more than 1,000 mourners Friday.

In a powerful eulogy filled with references to a letter Cpl. Brent Poland wrote to his family in January in the event he was killed in combat, Poland's younger brother and fellow soldier Mark urged mourners to remember that his brother died doing exactly what he wanted.

“It is as we gather here today easy to be sad. We lost a brave and proud Canadian. A man who readily accepted grave personal risk for a chance to make a difference,” Maj. Mark Poland said.

“We lost a man who loved his country, his regiment, his family and his friends, but we ought not hang our heads and wallow. That is not what Brent would have wanted.”