OTTAWADefence
Minister Bill Graham, Gen. Rick Hillier and other military
brass are expected to be on hand at CFB Trenton today to
meet the plane carrying the remains of Pte. Braun Scott
Woodfield.
Woodfield, 24, was killed in
Afghanistan Thursday when the driver of his armoured vehicle
swerved to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming car,
military sources say.
Woodfield, who was born in
Victoria and raised in Eastern Passage, N.S., was rear
sentry on the vehicle and was not driving, officials told
Canadian Press on condition of anonymity.
Military sources say the
LAV-3 its inherent tippiness exaggerated by armour plates
added recently to protect soldiers from explosions rolled
over after a civilian car with no headlights suddenly
appeared out of the dark.
"It was a reaction by a driver
who at the last second had to make a move to avoid a
collision with an oncoming car that had no headlights on."
A loaded LAV-3 weighs 21
tonnes. Most Afghan vehicles are Toyota Corollas. Had the
driver not swerved, "our vehicle would have been on top of
the small car," said a senior military source. "So who do
you think would win in such a collision?"
The accident occurred 45
kilometres northeast of Kandahar, near the village of
Laghman along one of the country's best thoroughfares the
paved Highway 1 that connects Kandahar and the capital of
Kabul.
The LAV-3 swerved "at the
last second," flipped and ended upside down at the edge of
the road. Officials do not know if the vehicle's stability
was a major factor in the accident.
An investigation has begun and,
consistent with military practice, a formal board of inquiry
is expected to be called.
The driver had four years
behind the wheel of the LAV, which is considered one of the
more popular military vehicles in-theatre.
Like many armoured vehicles and
SUVs, the LAV-3s can roll over under certain conditions.
Several defence sources said structural issues have never
been factors in 11 rollover accidents in which LAV-3s have
been involved.
"There are rules and
regulations and guidelines about how you drive, but
accidents still happen," said an official.
________________________________________________________________
Col. Ryan Jestin, Commander, CFB Gagetown
said Woodfield's death was a great shock for everyone at the base.
"But we've found great comfort, actually, in the family. We've had many
meetings with them to discuss their needs and their requirements as they
go through this very, very tough time," he told Canada AM early Friday.
Col. Jestin met Woodfield in Haiti when he visited Canadian troops
carrying out Operation HALO there last summer.
"He was a wonderful guy."
"And of course, I said farewell to him on the tarmac here in Fredericton
before he took off for Afghanistan in August." The colonel was one of
the last people to see Woodfield on his home soil before he left for his
overseas mission.
Woodfield's ashes on Thursday were carried off the plane at Fredericton
Airport by his mother. A military honour guard and members of the
Woodfield family were waiting at the airport.
"Yes, there's sadness," Daniel Woodfield told the Canadian Press. "But
at the same time, there's great pride."
Pte. Woodfield is the eighth Canadian to die in Afghanistan since
Canadian troops were deployed there in 2002.
Col. Jestin said the soldiers at Gagetown who lived, trained and worked
with Pte. Woodfield are going through a grieving process. But he added:
"The reality is we know when we go on these missions, inherently it's
risky.
"It's risky whether you're driving in a LAV-3 vehicle like what happened
to Pte. Woodfield last week, or on any mission overseas representing
Canada. The reality is although we never hope something like this ever
happens, we know inevitably it will."
Eastern Passage soldier killed in Afghanistan
Last updated Nov 25 2005 08:27 AM AST
CBC News
A soldier who grew up in Eastern Passage was killed when his military
vehicle rolled over in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, 24, died when the light armoured vehicle,
called a LAV-III, rolled over at 6 p.m. local time on a highway that
connects Kabul with Kandahar, near the village of Laghman.
"A family has lost a treasured friend, loved one and we have lost a
superb soldier and a member of our regimental family," said Lt.-Col.
Robert Walker of CFB Gagetown.
Four other soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian
Regiment, based out of Gagetown, were injured. None received
life-threatening injuries.
Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, 24. (Courtesy DND)
A centre was set up at the base Thursday night where people could meet
and share their thoughts.
It's not just for the families of the injured soldiers, said Shelly
Hillier, deployment and family support co-ordinator at Gagetown, "but
also families from our community who would just like to get together and
gather and draw strength and support from one another."
The four injured soldiers are being cared for by Canadian and U.S.
medical staff in Afghanistan. Whether they'll be moved depends on the
condition of their injuries.
An investigation is underway into the crash with the light armoured
vehicle, called a LAV-III.
"It was a road accident, a single-vehicle accident," said Lt.-Gen. Marc
Dumais, deputy chief of defence staff.
In the six years the LAV-III has been in use, two Canadian soldiers have
died in 10 rollover accidents. As recently as September, a 24-year-old
Quebec soldier died when one of the vehicles went into a river during a
nighttime training exercise in Alberta.
As his great-uncle solemnly played the Flowers of the Forest lament on
bagpipes Sunday, the body of Private Braun Scott Woodfield was returned
to Canada.
The flag-draped coffin arrived from Afghanistan and was escorted with an
honour guard to a waiting hearse.
About 25 family members, scores of military and Defence Minister Bill
Graham watched the ceremony along with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian
Regiment based in Gagetown N.B.
Pte. Woodfield died Nov. 24 near Kandahar, Afghanistan when an armoured
vehicle a LAV-3 in which he was the rear sentry swerved to avoid an
oncoming vehicle and rolled.
"This is a difficult day for all of us," said Gen. Rick Hillier, chief
of defence staff.
"(We are here) to grieve with his family and to say farewell to him."
Cpl. Jeff Milne, who is stationed at CFB Trenton and is Pte. Woodfield's
cousin, said many male members of the family had served or are serving
in the military.
"It's family tradition," he said.
Pte. Woodfield's father said Friday that his son was skilled with
computers but decided to join the infantry so he could go to places like
Afghanistan, where people need help.
Pte. Woodfield had been serving in Afghanistan since August.
"His next venture probably would have been going to search and rescue
because that was the kind of guy he was a helping fellow," Daniel
Woodfield said from his home in Cow Bay, near Halifax.
Cpl. Milne said the funeral for Pte. Woodfield will be Dec. 2 in
Gagetown.
The injured soldiers in the crash were identified as: Sgt. Tony Nelson
McIver, 31, of Fredericton; Cpl. James Edward McDonald, 32, of Pembroke,
Ont.; Cpl. Shane Dean Jones, 30, of White Rock, B.C., and Pte. Paul
Schavo, 24, of London, Ont.
Pte. Woodfield is the eighth Canadian to die in Afghanistan since Canada
first sent soldiers into the southwest Asian country in 2002.
Pte. Braun Woodfield honoured in N.B. memorial
CTV.ca News Staff
Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, the 24-year-old soldier who died in a
vehicle accident while serving in Afghanistan, was bestowed with full
military honours at a memorial this morning at Canadian Forces Base
Gagetown.
Hundreds of mourners packed a gymnasium at the New Brunswick base to pay
their last respects to the private known for his patriotism, his good
humour and the maple leaf tattooed on his arm.
A native of Victoria, B.C. raised in Eastern Passage, N.S., Woodfield
was killed near Kandahar last week when the LAV-3 he was riding in
rolled over. An investigation has since determined the vehicle's driver
swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Four other members of the 2nd
Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, were injured. Two of those soldiers
-- Cpl. Shane Dean Jones and Pte. Paul Schavo -- were present at the
memorial Friday.
"It was a tragic accident that claimed the life of an outstanding
soldier," said Brig.-Gen. Rick Parsons, Commander, Land Force Atlantic,
in a eEulogy.
"Braun Woodfield could have been anything he wanted to be. He had no end
to his options ... and just over two years ago he volunteered to join
the army .... he volunteered to wear the Canadian flag on his shoulder
because he wanted to help people.
"Braun did help people."
A tearful Beverley Woodfield, Braun's mother, said her son entered this
world just as he left it: "Far too early." Born prematurely and weighing
barely over two pounds, Braun was "sick a lot growing up. I worried
about that boy all his life," she said.
"But from the moment he was born, he was a fighter. He never gave up,"
she said.
"My Braunie, my dude, my bud, my Braun, you are my boy forever in my
mind's eye and in my heart."
Later, Beverley Woodfield wiped tears from her eyes as the Last Post
played. She stood alongside Lyndi Woodfield, Braun's sister, and Daniel
Woodfield, Braun's father and a former lieutenant-commander in the
Canadian navy.
All three wept as a parade of bagpipers played Amazing Grace as mourners
bowed their heads in respect to Woodfield. A Canadian flag was presented
to his mother. Three medals the private received during his military
service were presented to his father.
Col. Ryan Jestin, Commander, CFB Gagetown said Woodfield's death was a
great shock for everyone at the base.
"But we've found great comfort, actually, in the family. We've had many
meetings with them to discuss their needs and their requirements as they
go through this very, very tough time," he told Canada AM early Friday.
Col. Jestin met Woodfield in Haiti when he visited Canadian troops
carrying out Operation HALO there last summer.
"He was a wonderful guy."
"And of course, I said farewell to him on the tarmac here in Fredericton
before he took off for Afghanistan in August." The colonel was one of
the last people to see Woodfield on his home soil before he left for his
overseas mission.
Woodfield's ashes on Thursday were carried off the plane at Fredericton
Airport by his mother. A military honour guard and members of the
Woodfield family were waiting at the airport.
"Yes, there's sadness," Daniel Woodfield told the Canadian Press. "But
at the same time, there's great pride."
Pte. Woodfield is the eighth Canadian to die in Afghanistan since
Canadian troops were deployed there in 2002.
Col. Jestin said the soldiers at Gagetown who lived, trained and worked
with Pte. Woodfield are going through a grieving process. But he added:
"The reality is we know when we go on these missions, inherently it's
risky.
"It's risky whether you're driving in a LAV-3 vehicle like what happened
to Pte. Woodfield last week, or on any mission overseas representing
Canada. The reality is although we never hope something like this ever
happens, we know inevitably it will."
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