Pte. Colin William Wilmot - 1 Fd Amb - July 6 2008

[Teeps74]

Rest now brother, we will not forget.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Hit's home with the same first name, RIP Colin 

 

[geo]

Rest now, Pte Wilmot
your work is done

My condolences to the Family, friends and comrades

At the going down of the sun
and in the morn
we will remember them!

CHIMO!

 

[vonGarvin]

Sad news, received later today (I was afk for about a week: camping and all).  RIP, I can only imagine the comfort he brought as a medic.  Rest easy!

 

[Cloud Cover]

Sad news indeed. My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones for the pain and ultimate sacrifice you have endured. 

 

[old medic]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/2008/07/07/6088686.html

Canadian soldier remembered as dedicated medic
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

FREDERICTON — A Canadian soldier killed by a roadside bomb while on foot patrol near Kandahar City is being remembered today by friends as a caring person and a dedicated medic.

Pte. Colin William Wilmot is the 87th soldier to die as part of the Afghan mission.

One of the soldier’s friends, Melissa Laagland-Winder of Oromocto, N.B., says they often joked that he became a medic to emulate the doctors on the TV military series MASH.

She says he was always smiling and happy.

The Edmonton-based medic is the first Canadian soldier killed in combat since early June and is survived by a fiancee, Laura.

Wilmot grew-up in a military family in the Fredericton, N.B., area, and his father recently transferred from CFB Gagetown to CFB Petawawa in Ontario.

 

[tech2002]

RIP Pte Wilmot 

 

[ENGINEERS WIFE]

Mon Jul 07, 2008

AFGHANISTAN -- The body of Pte. Colin Wilmot will be returned to Canada on Wednesday when a repatriation ceremony will be held at CFB Trenton.

The Edmonton-based medic was critically injured Sunday while on patrol in the Panjwai district.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at a military hospital at Khandahar airfield.

Pte. Wilmot is the 87th soldier killed in Afghanistan and the first killed in action since mid-June.  

The repatriation ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Trenton.  The motorcade is expected to pass through Northumberland at approximately 3 p.m. and through Durham Region about 3:30.

Updates to the schedule will be posted on newsdurhamregion.com and northumberlandnews.com.



Very sad news for all.  I will head down to the overpass on Wed to pay my respects to you and your family.

RIP Pte Wilmot.  Thank your sacrifice and dedication.  It's guys like you that make our world a better place.  Thank you.
Thoughts go out to his family, friends and brothers in arms and I hope that you will be able to find joy in life and that it time come soon.
Thank you, Robin

 

[old medic]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/07/07/afghansoldierkilled.html

Grew up in Fredericton, based in Edmonton, loved for his wit and intellect

A Canadian military medic who lobbied hard to be sent to Afghanistan was killed by an explosion early Sunday near the city of Kandahar.

Pte. Colin William Wilmot died after a bomb exploded while he was on overnight foot patrol with troops from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in the Panjwaii district.

Wilmot, whose age has not been released, was pronounced dead at the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield a few hours later. He grew up in a military family in Fredericton and was based in Edmonton with the Princess Patricia's.

To the skirl of bagpipes, Wilmot's fellow soldiers bid farewell to him at a solemn sunset ceremony Monday. His comrades bore his flag-draped coffin up the loading ramp of a military cargo plane that will bring him home.

The medic was remembered by comrades as the top student in his basic medical course and a young man with a perpetually sunny disposition. They said Wilmot, who had been with the military for three years, was not originally scheduled to join the current rotation in Afghanistan, but demanded to be sent.

"He quickly marched in to see his regiment sergeant major to indicate he was eager to serve," said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan.

"Colin wanted it known that should a spot become available on the mission, he wanted in.

"He was selected to fill a vacancy soon after, because he was motivated, he was skilled, and because he was eager to make a difference in the lives of ordinary Afghans."
'We are a family,' commanding officer says

Back at Edmonton Garrison, where Wilmot was based before deploying for Afghanistan, his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Christopher Linford, said the incident underlined the risks faced by Canada's combat medics in Afghanistan.

"We are a family and this is like losing a family member," he said.

"I don't think there's any doubt that all medics that go over to do this job are extremely aware of the dangers they face," said Linford, commander of 1Field Ambulance in Edmonton. "Frankly, I'm extremely impressed by their level of courage and commitment to do that," said Linford, commander of 1Field Ambulance in Edmonton."

Wilmot leaves behind a fiancée, Laura.

He is the 87th Canadian soldier killed during the Afghanistan mission, and the first killed in combat since the beginning of June.

In early June, one soldier died after falling into a well during a nighttime patrol.
Increase in combat deaths understandable

Several days ago, another soldier, Cpl. Brendan Anthony Downey, was found dead in the living quarters of the secretive desert base, Camp Mirage, that offers logistical support to the military operation. Officials released few details but said the death was non-combat-related.

The past few weeks have been deadly for other coalition troops in Afghanistan, with the U.S. forces dealing with more casualties in June than any other month since fighting began. Britain also suffered one of its worst months.

"This is the summer campaign season. There's been a predictable rise in the number of …combat-type incidents," said Thompson.

"While I acknowledge the casualties that the British and the Americans have — and we certainly grieve with them — there has been just as much risk taken by Canadian soldiers here in Kandahar province," he said. "We've just been, frankly, luckier."

Last month, hundreds of insurgents escaped into the streets of Kandahar after an attack on the city's main jail, and there are suspicions fresh weaponry is making its way to insurgent hands from Pakistan and Iran.

With files from the Canadian Press

 

[old medic]

Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan remembered as dedicated medic

John Cotter, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published Monday July 7th, 2008

Copy at: http://www.canadaeast.com/search/article/347234

EDMONTON - The death of young army medic, Pte. Colin Wilmot, in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan reverberated across Canada Monday as family, friends and military comrades tried to cope with his loss.

The 24-year-old came from a family with a long history of military service. Wilmot's stepfather, Eric Craig, a warrant officer with 2 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery at CFB Petawawa in Ontario, was given the news as he prepared for his own deployment to Kandahar.

The young man's paternal grandfather, William Wilmot, said he'll best remember his grandson as a little boy who used to tear around the yard in Haneytown, N.B.

"He was a real chum, a nice boy," said Wilmot, who spent 25 years in the military himself. "Always easy to get along with."

Soldiers at the Edmonton Garrison, Colin Wilmot's home base, took the news hard, setting up a picture of their friend inside the entrance of the 1 Field Ambulance headquarters and lowering the unit's colours to half mast.

"The hole it leaves is huge. We are a family. It is like losing a family member," said Lt. Col. Christopher Linford, commanding officer of the unit, who said he has spoken with Laura, the soldier's fiancee.

"She is clearly in shock and terribly upset at the loss of her fiancee Colin. I can't help but feel for her. She is definitely suffering."

Wilmot, who once joked that he decided to become a medic because of the television show MASH, died Saturday night while on a patrol with infantry troops in the volatile Panjwaii district. He was the 87th soldier to die as part of the Afghan mission, which started in 2002.

Medics share the same risks as their combat arms troops, ready to immediately rush in to help soldiers who are wounded in combat or badger them to drink enough water to avoid collapsing from the brutal heat.

"We are not sitting in tents well behind the front lines. They are fully loaded up, armed, including all of their medical gear. All medics who do this job are extremely aware of the dangers that they face," Linford said.

"I'm impressed by their level of courage and commitment."

In Kandahar City, at the reconstruction camp where Wilmot was posted, colleagues recalled how he was not originally scheduled to join the current rotation, but demanded to be sent after winning the top award at the Canadian Force's medic course. He was to return home in September.

"He quickly marched in to see his regiment sergeant-major to indicate he was eager to serve," said Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, Canada's top soldier in Afghanistan.

"Colin wanted it known that, should a spot become available on the mission, he wanted in."

As his coffin was loaded on a transport plane for the long journey to an air base in Trenton, Ont., rows of soldiers stood in silent tribute beneath a Canadian flag lowered at half-mast while the mournful skirl of bagpipes filled the evening air.

Cpl. Genevieve Dureau broke into sobs while eulogizing Wilmot at a memorial service at the military camp. She served in Wilmot's unit.

"He was always there for you no matter what, always helped you, no questions asked - even if it wasn't in his best interest," she said.

"He'd walk around with this really goofy smile on his face all the time. I don't know why. He just did. He was always happy, no matter what the situation was. Colin, you were the nicest guy I've ever met and you will be greatly missed."

In Fredericton, high school friend Andrew Foreman said that Wilmot usually had a smile on his face and something positive to say.

Foreman said he wasn't surprised by Wilmot's decision to join the military after they graduated in 2002.

"He was eager, he was driven, he was outgoing - he was a great guy," Foreman said.

"He was the kind of person who would want to go and help people. That's probably why he became a medic, that's just the way he was."

Melissa Laagland-Winder of Oromocto, N.B., said the soldier, who grew up in the Fredericton area, always seemed to be in good spirits.

"He was just a really down-to-earth guy," she said. "We always joked back and forth that he was going into the medical field to be something like a MASH doctor, and that was our little joke every time we spoke."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed condolences on behalf of the federal government.

"Private Wilmot was strongly committed to treating members of both the Canadian Forces and Afghan National Security Forces injured in combat," Harper said.

"He participated in numerous security patrols with his fellow soldiers to ensure that immediate medical assistance was available if someone got hurt. Tragically, he was critically wounded on such a patrol in the Panjwaii district when an explosive device detonated."

The troops of 1 Field Ambulance are to provide an honour guard at Wilmot's funeral later this month. Details and location were pending.

"Colin will be brought back to Canada on Wednesday. We will do what we can to support his family," said Linford, who said a new group of medics is training to deploy to Afghanistan next year.

"We will come back to this base and we will carry on with our mission."
- With files from Jennifer MacMillan in Halifax and Kevin Bissett in Fredericton

Medic graduated at top of his class
Elise Stolte and Emily Senger, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Monday, July 07

EDMONTON -  Pte. Colin William Wilmot, killed in Afghanistan Sunday, graduated at the top of his class.

"He was a keen and intelligent young soldier," said his commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Christopher Linford, who also trained the Canadian medic.

Linford leads 1 Field Ambulance. He spoke publicly today from the Edmonton Garrison.

"(Wilmot) demonstrated his pride and his courage and volunteered to serve," Linford said.

The medic wasn't originally scheduled to serve in Afghanistan, but volunteered when a space opened up.

Canadian military officials aren't saying much about the circumstances surrounding Wilmot's death.

He was walking in Afghanistan's Panjwai district early Sunday morning when an explosive device detonated. Members of his unit gave first aid and he was flown by helicopter to the Kandahar Airfield but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile friends in Canada set up a page on Facebook, an online networking site, to publicly remember a man they describe as always smiling.

"R.I.P. Colin," wrote Sheila Meikle from Saint John, N.B. "My prayers go out to your family. Thank you for serving your country."

"I love you, Colin," wrote Arwen Falvey, from Ottawa. "You always put a smile on my face."

According to Wilmot's own page on the online social networking service, Wilmot had been working for the Department of National Defence as a medical technician since October 2005.

He went to high school in Fredericton and was recently engaged to his fiancée, Laura. She posted a video of her sparkling ring on her site two weeks ago.

 

[medaid]

RIP Mate.

 

[darmil]

RIP Colin I escorted him to MSG he was in my RG31 really friendly guy.

 

[tomahawk6]

 

[old medic]

Body of Afghanistan casualty Pte. Colin Wilmot to return home Wednesday

08/07/2008 4:05:00 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Wire - numerous links

CFB TRENTON, Ont. - The body of an Edmonton-based army medic who was killed in Afghanistan on the weekend is expected to return to Canada on Wednesday.

Pte. Colin Wilmot, 24, of 1 Field Ambulance, died from his injuries Saturday after an explosive device detonated while he was on a night patrol in the volatile Panjwaii district.

Wilmot's body is expected to return to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario at 2 p.m.

He was the 87th Canadian soldier to die during the Afghanistan mission.

A funeral for Wilmot, who grew up in the Fredericton area, is expected to be held in New Brunswick later this month.

http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/pre/2008e1004pr.htm

Premier's message regarding death of Pte. Colin Wilmot (08/07/08)
NB 1004
July 8, 2008

FREDERICTON (CNB) - The following message was released today by Premier Shawn Graham, following the death of Pte. Colin Wilmot:

Like all New Brunswickers, I am deeply saddened to learn today of the loss of Pte. Colin Wilmot, a medic serving with the Health Services Support Unit in Afghanistan. Pte. Wilmot grew up in New Brunswick as part of a family with a long history of military service.

Pte. Wilmot's commitment to that tradition of service was evident. He was not originally scheduled to join the current rotation, but requested to be sent after winning the top award at the Canadian Forces medic course. He was both a skilled medic and a committed soldier, and to lose so bright a light so soon is great loss.

On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I extend my deepest condolences to Pte. Wilmot's family, his fiancée, Laura, and his many loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of deep sadness.

As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our role as peacekeepers throughout the world. We bring order and hope to countries caught in the grip of upheaval and strife. But, as we are reminded on days such as today, that special role often comes with a heavy price.

Our Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are symbols of courage and bravery. It is important to reflect on the service they perform and the sacrifices they make every day.

 

[old medic]

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=638747

Canadian medic killed on foot patrol
Graham Thomson, Canwest News Service  Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2008

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Combat medic Colin Wilmot didn't want to be left behind when his friends shipped out for Afghanistan from Edmonton in February. So, he pestered his regimental sergeant major to let him go with them.

"He wasn't slated for this tour," Chief Warrant Officer Chris Kaye said yesterday.

"We had others more senior to him, but he was always hanging around my door and wanting that one chance to come over here."

Yesterday, eight of those friends carried his casket into a C-130 Hercules aircraft.

Private Wilmot, who had volunteered as a medic with 1 Field Ambulance to save lives, not take them, was killed by an explosive device while on foot patrol in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province.

"He had gotten to see a lot over his three months that he was here," Chief Warrant Officer Kaye said of the medic, who had recently become engaged.

"He probably accumulated two years' worth of experience. Every day that he was out there he was chalking up great experience and became a fine young medic. I can tell you the soldiers in the battle group admired him and wanted him as a medic on their crew."

Pte. Wilmot is the 87th Canadian soldier killed in the Afghanistan mission.

 

[old medic]

Body of army medic killed in Afghanistan returns home
The Canadian Press
Copy at:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=151311&sc=117

FREDERICTON — The body of an army medic who was killed in Afghanistan on the weekend returned home Wednesday in a ceremony at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario.
Pte. Colin Wilmot, 24, died from his injuries Saturday after an explosive device detonated while he was on a night patrol in the volatile Panjwaii district.
Wilmot, who grew up in New Brunswick in the Fredericton area, was remembered fondly in the Maritime province Wednesday.
“He was part of us,” said Pam Gilbert, general manager of the Esso community store in New Maryland, N.B., and the woman who hired Wilmot the year before he joined the military.
Gilbert was impressed with the young man who worked at a nearby restaurant before asking her for a job at the convenience store.
“He was so polite. So pleasant,” Gilbert said.
Wilmot worked with Gilbert and store manager Jarrett Wilkins from November 2004 to November 2005, and he lived in a subdivision just across the street.
“He was just a nice young guy. Always came into work smiling. Happy go-lucky. He wanted to serve his country. When he left he was excited he got accepted,” Wilkins said.
“We’re a community store. Everyone comes to the store and chats and everyone remembers who he was. We’re a small family store and he was part of our family still.”
Wilmot was based in Edmonton with 1 Field Ambulance. He was the 87th Canadian soldier to die during the Afghanistan mission.
A funeral for Wilmot is expected to be held in New Brunswick later this month.

 

[ENGINEERS WIFE]

These are pics that I took today at the Vic Park overpass as Pte Colin Wilmot as he took his final journey of the Highway of Heroes. 

Sorry I didn't turn the one pic the right way, but I am a little retarded when it comes to the computer.

 

[old medic]

http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1107529

Repatriation of Private Colin William Wilmot
87th Canadian Forces Afghan fatality
Posted By Pete Fisher - Mandy Martin

The repatriation of Canadian medic Private Colin William Wilmot took place at CFB Trenton Wednesday afternoon. Pte. Wilmot was killed during a foot patrol in Panjwai district of Khandahar, Afghanistan on Sunday.

Private Wilmot was serving with a field ambulance unit in Edmonton and was not originally scheduled to deploy to the battlefield, but he lobbied for the job and eventually got attached to the Canadian battle group.

Every Canadian Forces casualty in Afghan is flown back to CFB Trenton where a repatriation ceremony is held. Then, the casket, in procession with family members and Armed Forces personnel, travels from Trenton to Toronto along Highway 401, now known as the Highway of Heroes. In Toronto, an autopsy is conducted before the remains are released to the family for final burial.

So far, 87 soldiers and one diplomat have died in the Afghan mission.

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/northumberland/news/northumberland/article/102493

Medic travels Highway of Heroes
By Heather Case

NORTHUMBERLAND - Supporters bearing Canadian flags stood on the Colborne/Castleton Hwy. 401 overpass  Wednesday afternoon to honour Private. Colin Wilmot.

Casleton resident Margaret Blight stands on the bridge for every passing repatriation motorcade to show her support.

"I think everybody should be out on the bridge because they are over there for us," said Ms. Blight. "If they weren't over there for us then they would be here and they wouldn't be killed would they?"

Maragret Moffatt, also from Casleton agreed. "It's very important because they fight for us, everyone should be out here supporting them."

Pte. Wilmot is the 87th soldier killed in Afghanistan and the first killed in action since mid-June.

The Edmonton-based medic was critically injured Sunday while on patrol in the Panjwai district.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at a military hospital at Khandahar airfield.

Today's repatriation was the second one this week. The ceremony for Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey, 37, a military policeman of 17 Wing Detachment Dundurn was held on Monday.

Image Gallery - Daily Gleaner - 4 images
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/thumbs.php?id=350215


Fallen soldier 'was part of us'
Published Thursday July 10th, 2008
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/350215

The sign in front of the New Maryland Esso says, 'We will remember,' as 24 Canadian flags barely stir in the humid air.

Flags in front of village buildings remained at half-mast Wednesday as many in the community just outside Fredericton paused to ponder the life of a polite young man with friendly eyes behind his wire-rimmed eyeglasses.

The flags are a reminder that Pte. Colin Wilmot, an army medic who died in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan, was just 24 years old.

The body of the fallen soldier arrived on Canadian soil at Canadian Forces Base Trenton mid-afternoon Wednesday with National Defence Minister Peter MacKay and other officials on hand for the repatriation ceremony.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.

"He was part of us," said Pam Gilbert, general manager of the Esso store, and the woman who hired Wilmot the year before he joined the military.

Gilbert was impressed with the young man who worked at the nearby Pizza Twice restaurant before asking her for a job at the convenience store.

"He was so polite. So pleasant," Gilbert said Wednesday.

Wilmot worked with Gilbert and store manager Jarrett Wilkins from November 2004 to November 2005.

He lived in a subdivision just across the street.

It was his last job in his neighbourhood before embarking on his military career.

"He was just a nice young guy. Always came into work smiling. Happy, go-lucky. He wanted to serve his country. When he left he was excited he got accepted," Wilkins said.

"We're a community store. Everyone comes to the store and chats and everyone remembers who he was. We're a small family store and he was part of our family still," Wilkins said.

Wilmot sustained critical injuries in a roadside bomb attack at 12:50 a.m. Kandahar time Saturday and later died of his wounds. He was working with an overnight foot patrol with troops from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in the Panjwaii district.

Wilmot, who once joked that he decided to become a medic because of the television show MASH, was the 87th soldier to die as part of the Afghan mission, which started in 2002.

In Kandahar City, at the construction camp where he was posted, colleagues recalled how he wasn't originally scheduled to join the current rotation, but demanded to be sent after winning the top award at the Canadian Force's medic course. He was to return home in September.

Melissa Laagland-Winder of Oromocto described Wilmot as a down-to-earth guy who always seemed to be in good spirits.

A graduate of Fredericton High School, Wilmot's family had a long history of military service. His stepfather Eric Craig is a warrant officer with 2 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery at CFB Petawawa in Ontario.

Craig is due to be deployed to Kandahar soon.

Wilmot's paternal grandfather William Wilmot spent 25 years in the military.

Soldiers at 1 Field Ambulance at the Edmonton Garrison - which was Wilmot's home base - are expected to participate in an honour guard at a funeral service later this month.

Wilmot is survived by his fiancée Laura. He was predeceased by his mother.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

[old medic]

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/classifieds/obituaries/listing.php?id=148351&t=0&c=8&pub=4&period=&print

WILMOT, PTE. COLIN WILLIAM The passing of Pte. Colin William Wilmot of CFB Edmonton, AB, occurred on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Born on May 12, 1984 in Fredericton, NB, he was the son of Warrant Officer Eric P. Craig of Petawawa, ON and the late Shirley Lorraine (Mann) Craig. Pte Colin Wilmot was a medic with 1 Field Ambulance serving in Afghanistan. He was a very athletic young man, who was proud to serve his country. In addition to his step-father, Colin is survived by his birth father, Colin Bernard Wilmot of Fredericton, NB; sister, Kathleen Jones Kingston of Fredericton, NB and fiancée, Laura English of Moncton, NB. Besides his mother, he was predeceased by his brother-in-law, David Trevis Kingston. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time and are under the care and direction of York Funeral Home, 302 Brookside Drive, Fredericton, NB (506) 458-9538.