Jesse Tait, 2 PPCLI, R.I.P.

[The Bread Guy]

This from The Canadian Press

A Manitoba-based soldier who served in Afghanistan has died.

Media reports say the body of Sgt. Jesse Tait, who was 34, was recovered from a river near Thunder Bay, Ont.

Tait was a member of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

A spokeswoman for Canadian Forces Base Shilo near Brandon, Man., confirmed Tait's death but declined to provide any details.

Tait joined the military in January 2002 and served in Bosnia in 2003 and in Afghanistan in 2008.

Friends say he is survived by a wife and two young sons ....

This from NDP MP John Rafferty in the House of Commons:

Mr. Speaker, today we mourn the loss of Sgt. Jesse Tait of Sudbury. He was a father, husband, son and soldier, serving at CFB Shilo in Manitoba. All of northern Ontario and all Canadians stand with his family at this time of loss.

    He joined the Canadian Forces in January 2002 and was posted to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He served in Bosnia in 2003 and in Afghanistan in 2008 as a sniper. His family described him as ambitious, hard-working, a natural leader with a penchant for adventure, who loved nothing more than spending time with his two young boys.

    This tragic death serves as another reminder of the commitment and service of our Canadian Forces. It also reminds us of the duty we have as members of the House of Commons to those who serve, to only place them in harm's way after careful consideration, and to be there for them when they return.

    We shall not forget Sgt. Jesse Tait.

Condolences to family, colleagues and friends .... 

 

[OldSolduer]

RIP Sgt

 

[FergyFerg]

We will never forget.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Bumped with the latest ....

A service dog being groomed to work with a first responder in Barrie has been named after Jesse Tait of Sudbury.

Tait died in January after wrestling with the after-effects of military tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Jesse, his canine namesake, is a French water dog (the official breed name is Barbet) who will be presented to a firefighter who, like Tait, has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The fleecy four-footer, not yet a year old, is "with a breeder in Stratford and just going into training right now," said Nicole Taylor of United By Trauma, a support group that pairs dogs with PTSD sufferers through a program called Ernie's Journey.

"Each dog we donate through the trauma service dog program is named after a first responder who has been a victim of PTSD," Taylor explained. "It's a way for a fallen first responder to help another first responder." ....