WO. Roberge 2 IRC, Sgt. Kruse 2 CER - Four Wounded: 28 Dec 08

[vonGarvin]

RIP troops. 

 

[karl28]

          RIP Troops

 

[Rigger052]

Rest easy brothers.

 

[BernDawg]

Such harsh news and so soon as well.  RiP Troops we will carry the torch. 

 

[KevinB]

RIP 

 

[jollyjacktar]

My deepest condolences to the families and comrades of the fallen.  Speedy recovery to the wounded. 

 

[P-PLATOON]

RIP, WO Roberge and Sgt. Kruse



"We will Remeber Them"

 

[COBRA-6]

Fior Go Bas

RIP

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Message from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada on the deaths of Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge and Sergeant Gregory John Kruse
December 28, 2008

OTTAWA— Still reeling from the shock of yesterday’s announcement, we have received further heart-wrenching, painful news today, again from Afghanistan. It was with great sorrow that we learned that Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge, from the 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada and Sergeant Gregory John Kruse, from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Petawawa were killed when an explosive device was detonated while they were conducting security operations in the Panjwayi District. One member of the Afghan National Police and one Afghan interpreter were also killed.  Four Canadian soldiers and one Afghan interpreter were wounded.

This past year has been a very difficult one. It is coming to an end under a cloud of grief and terrible sadness for these families cruelly struck by loss, for our soldiers, for Canada, for Afghanistan and for the entire world.

We recognize the tremendous courage of these women and men who have chosen to serve with the Canadian Forces and who are prepared to make incredible sacrifices, facing every peril to help people in danger and aid them in their desire to achieve freedom and security.

To the families, friends and loved ones of these fallen soldiers, we offer our sincerest condolences as we mourn this tragedy with them.




Michaëlle Jean

-30-

Media Information
Lucie Caron
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-301-7344
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca


Statement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper
28 December 2008
Ottawa, Ontario


Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today on the death of two Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan:

“It is with deep sadness that I learned of the deaths of Warrant Officer Gaetan Joseph Maxime Roberge from the 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada  of Sudbury and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment of Petawawa., who died today in Afghanistan as the result of an improvised explosive device detonation near where they were conducting security operations.

I offer my sincerest condolences to their families, friends and comrades. I also wish a speedy recovery to the four CF members injured in the same explosion.

This is not an easy mission, but Canada and its allies are committed to helping the Afghan people achieve peace and stability and rebuild their country.

The Government of Canada and all Canadians are proud of our men and women of the Canadian Forces who courageously risk their lives every day in support of this United Nations-mandated, NATO-led mission.

The sacrifices of these soldiers will not be forgotten.”

 

[043]

Any info on where and when funeral services will be for Sgt Kruse? And I don't need any of the old....well the bodies are getting shipped home now, will be sent to TO bs either. Just the facts please.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

PM inbound 2023

 

[Kirkhill]

Thank You.

 

[Rocketryan]

Rest In Peace 

 

[old medic]

Bodies of two slain soldiers on their way home
CTV.ca News Staff
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081228/afghanistan_soldiers_081228/20081228?hub=TopStories

Two Canadian soldiers killed this weekend in Afghanistan are on their way home, after a solemn twilight ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield Sunday evening.

A lone bagpiper played as the caskets of Warrant Officer Gaetan Joseph Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were loaded onto a military aircraft.

Roberge and Kruse were killed Saturday after a bomb exploded while the two soldiers were on security patrol about 24 kilometres west of Kandahar City.

An Afghan policeman and interpreter were also killed in the blast, while three Canadian soldiers and a second interpreter were injured.

The soldiers had been on a security patrol in the volatile Panjwaii district, where Canadian troops have repeatedly fought against Taliban gunmen.

Roberge, was a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment who was serving with the Irish Regiment of Canada in Sudbury, Ont. He was serving in Afghanistan to help train the country's national police force.

Kruse was from the 24 Field Squadron, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. He was serving as a member of 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.

Just days before his death, Kruse's wife, Jill, had sent an email to a military padre, expressing her concern for the soldiers during the holidays. The padre read her statement to the troops who bid their final goodbye to their comrade at Kandahar Airfield.

"Christmas has finally come and our soldier isn't home," Jill Kruse wrote only days ago. "And for some families, they won't have their soldiers sit at their table for Christmas dinner again."

Meanwhile, Capt. Shane Gapp described Roberge as someone with a good sense of humour, and who earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues.

"His men loved him. He loved his men. You could count on him at any point in time to do anything," Gapp said.

Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, the head of Canadian and NATO forces in Kandahar, said in a statement that there were no words to describe the emotional impact such deaths have on soldiers.

"Every one of our soldiers is very dear to us. They are our friends and our brothers."

He added that Canadian soldiers "also grieve for our Afghan brothers with whom we have been working side by side to help make their country more secure and stable."

While on patrol, the soldiers came across an improvised explosive device by the roadside and called in the Quick Reaction Force team to have it removed, reporter Steve Rennie of The Canadian Press said during an interview Sunday morning on CTV Newsnet.

At some point after the team arrived, around 12:15 p.m. local time, an explosion occurred, though it is unclear if it was the bomb the soldiers found or another one that exploded, Rennie said.

"We do know at this point that what happened was the response team came in and at that point there was an explosion and the soldiers were killed," Rennie said.

The three injured soldiers were evacuated to the hospital at Kandahar Airfield and are in good condition, while the injured interpreter was treated at a nearby forward operating base and released.

Family of Roberge and Kruse were notified of their deaths on the same day as the body of Pte. Michael Freeman, who was killed in Kandahar on Friday, was taken aboard a military plane to be transported back to Canada.

Along with one diplomat and two aid workers, 106 Canadian soldiers have now died in the war-torn country since 2002.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the Deaths of Two Canadian Soldiers
NR–08.090 - December 28, 2008

OTTAWA - The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Gateway, issued the following statement today on the deaths of two Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan:

“We mourn the loss of two Canadian Forces members, Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge and Sergeant Gregory John Kruse, who died yesterday while conducting security operations in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated near them.

My thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and comrades during this difficult time, and with the four other CF members who were injured in the same explosion. I wish them a swift recovery.

Canada will not be deterred from executing this UN-sanctioned, NATO-led mission, though it is a challenging one. The Taliban cannot be allowed to once again plunge Afghanistan into a state of repression and fear.

Warrant Officer Roberge and Sergeant Kruse were brave soldiers, and their selfless efforts to help improve the lives of the Afghan people will not be forgotten.”

-30-

Warrant Officer Roberge was from the 2nd Battalion, The Irish Regiment of Canada.  He was serving as a member of the Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team. Sergeant Kruse was from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, Canadian Forces Base Petawawa

 

[old medic]

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1365084&

Member of Sudbury's 2nd Irish Battalion dies in Afghanistan
Roadside bomb kills Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge, another soldier

Another roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan killed two more Canadian soldiers Saturday, along with an Afghan police officer and a local interpreter.

Warrant Officer Gaetan Roberge and Sgt. Gregory John Kruse were killed during a security patrol in the Panjway district, in the western part of Kandahar province.

The explosion wounded three other Canadian soldiers and another Afghan interpreter.

The attack occurred 25 kilometres west of Kandahar city at around 12:15 p.m. local time, the military said.

The injured soldiers were airlifted to Kandahar Airfield and were reported in good condition. The Afghan interpreter sustained only minor injuries in the blast.

Roberge was a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment who was serving with the Irish Regiment of Canada in Sudbury. He was part of the Canadian team mentoring Afghanistan's fledgling national police force.

He is the second member of the Sudbury-based regiment to become a casualty in Afghanistan in 2008. Cpl. Bill Kerr suffered serious injuries in a roadside bomb attack in October.

Kruse was from 24 Field Squadron, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. He was serving as a member of 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group.

It has been a bloody weekend for Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Pte. Michael Freeman, 28, of Peterborough, Ont., was killed Friday when his armoured vehicle struck an explosive during a security patrol in Zhari district.

The attack that killed Roberge and Kruse happened mere hours before Freeman's flag-covered casket was loaded onto a military aircraft during a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield.

The latest deaths bring to 106 the number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission since 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also been killed.

Roadside bomb attacks have killed nine Canadian soldiers this month. December is now the bloodiest month since April 2007, when nine soldiers were killed.

The Canadian commander of coalition forces in Kandahar, Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, said the deaths come during a "particularly unlucky" period.

"There are no words to properly express our sorrow at this moment. Every one of our soldiers is very dear to us. They are our friends and our brothers," Thompson said.

"We also grieve for our Afghan brothers with whom we have been working side by side to help make their country more secure and stable."

In his eulogy today, Padre Michel Dion described Roberge as “being kind of like Kentucky Fried Chicken: Crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside.”

Roberge was also said to be a deeply religious man who wasn't shy about practising his faith.

His platoon commander, Capt. Shane Gapp, said he was quick to laugh and worked hard at his job.

“His men loved him. He loved his men. You could count on him at any point in time to do anything,” Gapp said.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

Third triple repatriation Tuesday at CFB Trenton
Month's Canadian death toll in Afghanistan reaches nine
Belleville Intelligencer, 28 Dec 08
Article link

Canada’s three latest soldiers killed in Afghanistan are to return Tuesday to their native country.

Warrant Officer Gaétan Roberge, Sgt. Gregory John Kruse, an Afghan National Police officer, and an Afghan interpreter died in an explosion Saturday around 12:15 p.m. local time. The explosion occurred about 25 km west of Kandahar City in Panjwaii District, the military said in a press release. Four other Canadian soldiers were injured.

The soldiers were on a security mission, the release said.

Roberge served with the second battalion of The Irish Regiment of Canada.  He was a member of the Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team.

Kruse was from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.  He had been serving as a member of The Royal Canadian Regiment’s third battalion (3RCR).

Their deaths came one day after that of Pte. Michael Freeman, a Peterborough resident with 3RCR. He too was killed in an explosion; three of his comrades were injured.

Capt. Mark Peebles, senior public affairs officer at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, said Freeman’s repatriation has been delayed to coincide with that of Roberge and Kruse.

All three are slated tentatively to return home via the Trenton base Tuesday at 2 p.m....

More on link

 

[Takeniteasy]

RIP Soldiers.

 

[phoenixbear]

i just read about the 2 soldiers killed on our own soldiers charity website, would Just wish to pass on my condolences to the families of the canadian soldiers killed the other day, my thoughts are with you at this sad time.

rest in peace 

 

[3VP Highlander]

RIP