Canadian soldiers mourn loss of fallen comrades

Tributes are pouring in for three Canadian soldiers killed Saturday in a roadside bombing west of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, commander of Task Force Kandahar said Sunday the fallen soldiers, all stationed at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, near Fredericton, will be remembered for "their devotion to their chosen profession."

ComradesofCpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin and Pte. Justin Peter Jonesgathered at Kandahar Airfield on Sunday as the bodies were loaded on to a plane that is expected to arriveat Canadian Forces Base Trenton in eastern Ontario sometime Tuesday. Because the base was under fire Sunday evening, fewer soldiersthan usual attended the ramp ceremony, the CBC's David Common reported.

Thompson said the three served as members of theProvincial Reconstruction Team and their job was to conduct regular security patrols.

On the day they were killed,the members of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, were sent out to investigate a report that someone may have been trying to plant a bomb along the road, Common said.

Saturday'sexplosion was so powerful it flipped over their armoured vehicle, witnesses said.

On Sunday,Thompson stood under the bright sun in front of the cenotaph honouring Canadians killed in Afghanistan, while the Canadian flag flew at half-mast.

"We share this moment of grief together today and think of these young men who were so full of life and full of promise," he said. "We will remember their intensity and their devotion to their chosen profession. Its not easy to face their departure, but we will share their stories and honour their memory together."

Hamilton, 26, was born in Truro, N.S., and grew up in Upper Musquodoboit, southeast of Truro.

Thompson said Hamilton had served in Haiti and was on his third tour of Afghanistan. He was known as "Hammy" to his friends and loved to hunt and fish.Thompson said Hamilton's "first love" was his daughter Annabella.

Jones, 21,was from Baie Verte, N.L.

"Pte. Justin Jones was a friendly Newfoundlander who loved to play his guitar and drive his pickup truck. Jonesy, as he was known to his friends, loved to learn," Thompson said.

"He frequently volunteered for new courses. His buddies say that Jonesy was the kindest person youd ever meet," he said.

N.L. premier offers sympathies

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams expressed his condolences and said deepest sympathies and prayers go to the colleagues and loved ones of the soldiers.

"Words cannot express our sorrow for this tragic loss, especially for the families and friends of those who have sacrificed their lives in selfless service to others," said Williams.

He added Jones's "bravery, dedication and commitment to peace will be his legacy and will never be forgotten."

Flags at Confederation Building in St. John'swill be flown at half-mast to honour Jones, the premier said.

The age and hometown of Curwin was not made available.

Thompson said Curwinwas a "natural" at everything he attempted and wasthe "voice of reason" among his group of soldiers, "making sure that when they were getting rambunctious or planned to get into mischief that he put the brakes on it."

"Pte. John Curwin was a quintessential family man. He was a dedicated dad to his three children and he always said that his wife, Laura Mae, was his best friend," Thompson said.

The bomb that killed the three soldiers and wounded a fourth was planted on the same stretch of highway where three other Canadian soldiers were killed on Dec. 5.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Gov. Gen. Michalle Jean offered their sympathies to the friends and families of the latest casualties in an incident that pushed Canada's military death toll from the Afghan mission to 103 soldiers.

"This tragic incident demonstrates the considerable risk faced by the exceptional men and women of the Canadian Forces as they work to promote freedom, security and democracy in Afghanistan," Harper said in a statement from Ottawa.

The prime minister said while the country is profoundly saddened, it will not waver in its support for its troops.