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Topic: Private David Robert Greenslade, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (Read 870 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Private David Robert Greenslade, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, was killed today when an improvised explosive device detonated near their LAV-III armoured vehicle. The incident occurred at approximately 13:30 hrs Kandahar time on April 8, approximately 75 kilometres west of Kandahar City, near the border between Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
Rest in peace, Dave.
Pro Patria.
Mike.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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'Gramps, would you look after my dog?'
By ANTHONY REINHART and ESTANISLAO OZIEWICZ
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
By rights, Donnie Greenslade should have been working some construction site yesterday, slinging concrete for Strescon Ltd. in Saint John.
Instead, Mr. Greenslade wandered the mall in search of a suit to wear on a trip no father wants to take: to the Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ont., to greet the coffin of his only child when it arrives from Afghanistan later this week.
Private David Greenslade, 20, was in a light-armoured vehicle carrying 10 Canadian soldiers west of Kandahar on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded, killing him and five colleagues: Sergeant Donald Lucas, 31, Corporal Aaron E. Williams, 23, Private Kevin Vincent Kennedy, 20, Corporal Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, and Corporal Brent Poland, 37.
All 10 soldiers, one of whom is recovering from injuries, had at one time served together in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.
Laurie and Donnie Greenslade walk Colby, their son’s Airedale, Monday in Saint John. Private David Greenslade was one of six Canadian soldiers slain in Afghanistan Sunday. (Brian Atkinson for The
The Globe and Mail
Gagetown is the last place Pte. Greenslade's family saw him as he boarded a bus bound for the airport on Jan. 29, for what was to be a six-month stint in Afghanistan. Before he left, he turned to his grandfather, David Lester, and said, "If anything happens to me, Gramps, would you look after my dog?"
Yesterday, after Mr. Lester accompanied the soldier's father to buy a suit, shirt and tie that the clerk had already knotted to save him the bother, the grandfather vowed to follow through. "I'm going to keep walking him every day," he said, referring to Colby, the four-year-old Airedale so important to David.
The dog is among many physical reminders Pte. Greenslade's family, along with those of his five dead comrades, will hold dear in their grief. Other markers will live on in memory.
"He loved to laugh and he loved to make people laugh," Laurie Greenslade, 44, said of her son, a tall, lean boy who liked to do impressions.
Another great love was golf, which his grandfather taught him as a preteen. That, in turn, led to a part-time job at Rockwood Park Golf Course, where he worked with a former soldier named Scott Robarts.
In Grade 11, Pte. Greenslade joined a reserve unit, and two years ago, became a full-time military man.
"I was concerned," his mother said, "but I knew you could have a good career, and that it was an honourable thing to do for your country."
Ms. Greenslade last spoke with her son on April 4. He was looking forward to a three-week leave at month's end, which he and Pte. Kennedy had planned to spend together, touring Australia and Thailand. As for Afghanistan, "He said it was very quiet there; they were on hold," she said. "All they were doing was nothing."
There was no deterring Pte. Kennedy from joining the Forces after high school in St. Lawrence, Nfld., where he made his mark as a navy cadet, elite athlete and a collegial schoolmate to students and staff. Nor would he be kept from completing his mission in Afghanistan.
"He was steadfast that this is what he wanted to do," said his father, Myles. "He came across as a person who was called into this. He believed in what he was doing. And he never changed. He never wavered."
Before retiring and moving to British Columbia, Mr. Kennedy taught at his son's high school, St. Lawrence Academy. Kevin played soccer and basketball there, and was a long-distance runner.
Mr. Kennedy's other son, Michael, is a leading seaman aboard the frigate HMCS Toronto, based in Halifax.
Mr. Kennedy was visiting his sister in Paradise, Nfld., for the Easter break when he heard the devastating news about Kevin.
He said that during his Afghanistan tour his son had bouts of trepidation -- "things were pretty hairy at times" -- but was always assured by the training he and his comrades had received.
"He always told me, 'Dad, we're well prepared for this.' In the same breath, he knew that stuff like this could happen. But he did accept the risk."
Pte. Kennedy's stepfather, Reg Hiller, said Kevin's dream was to become a soldier, despite his family's reservations. "Believe me, we tried to send him in another direction. But he wanted to be a soldier, join the Forces and make a difference -- and I guess he did," Mr. Hiller said.
The family of Sgt. Lucas released this statement:
"Don was a special man, dedicated to his family. He was an excellent father to his wonderful son and daughter, Matthew and MacKenzie. A loving husband, Don cherished his family and filled with pride at the mention of them.
"In his spare time, Don enjoyed everything to do with the outdoors, from hunting to boating, to sitting around the campfire with Matthew, and looked forward to his days boating on the river."
A native Newfoundlander, Sgt. Lucas was born and raised in St. John's, the youngest child of Ella and Fred Lucas.
He started his career with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment before transferring to the regular force and 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment.
"He was an excellent leader and very proud of the soldiers under his command. He believed in the mission and that he had a role to play to help those in need in Afghanistan," the family said.
Cpl. Stannix joined the forces in 2000 as a reservist in the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers. The Afghanistan mission was his first deployment.
In a statement yesterday, his family said he "loved his family, he loved Canada, he loved the Canadian Forces and he loved the Fusiliers.
"He believed in the mission in Afghanistan and believed he and his fellow soldiers were making a difference."
In Cpl. Poland's hometown of Sarnia, Ont., Jim Foubister, a close family friend and city councillor said he knew Cpl. Poland for most of his life, and described him as a "wonderful young man."
"Our prayers certainly do go out to the Poland family," he said, his voice unsteady. "I guess we've really learned the price of freedom."
At CFB Gagetown, Sunday night was a sleepless one for Colonel Ryan Jestin and his staff, as they provided support to the families and friends of the six fallen soldiers.
As base commander, Col. Jestin has seen the impact of the deaths on his troops and the difficulty in dealing with Canada's worst day of casualties since the Korean War.
"We can plan for 'What if there is an injury' or for 'What if there is a death in theatre,' " he said. "But we don't ever plan, we don't ever prepare for when we lose that many that suddenly, and that's the part that is hard. It is difficult to lose one; it's tragic to lose six."
Of the four other soldiers in the LAV III armoured vehicle, the driver, the gunner and the crew commander have returned to duty, while the other injured soldier has been moved to a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where he is recovering from non-life-threatening wounds.
Families have been told their sons' bodies will arrive in Trenton tomorrow or Thursday.
Along with the grief came the sudden awareness that despite all the training and modern equipment, the war in Afghanistan will continue to involve casualties for Canadian troops.
A total of 51 Canadian soldiers have been killed there since 2002.
"This is not an easy situation over there," Col. Jestin said. "But at the end of the day, I think that the Taliban are cowards and despicable. And this incident yesterday shows . . . it is a difficult situation for our soldiers and they are acting as professionals and will continue to do so."
With reports from Rhéal Seguin and Canadian Press
Deaths by province
The majority of the 51 soldiers killed in Afghanistan hail from Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
B.C.; 2
Alta.; 7
Sask.; 4
Man.; 1
Ont.; 17
Que.; 2
N.B.; 5
N.S.; 8
Nfld.; 5
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Private chose to serve with 'buddies'
Shannon Proudfoot
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
It's not surprising a teenager whose work ethic led him to hold down two part-time jobs in high school grew up to be a man who didn't hesitate to join his regiment in a war zone. But Pte. David Greenslade's family was impressed all the same.
"He had a choice. He didn't have to go," Elmer Greenslade says of his 20-year-old nephew. "They gave them all a choice, but he said he couldn't live with himself if he didn't go, because all his buddies were going over."
An only child who grew up in Saint John, N.B., Pte. Greenslade was a good-natured, outgoing person who had plenty of friends and admirers, his uncle says. He had a passion for golf and dreamed of meeting Tiger Woods, his uncle says.
Pte. Greenslade's parents, Laurie and Donald, last spoke to their son on Wednesday, his uncle says, and despite the dangers in Afghanistan, he kept his conversations upbeat for the sake of his parents.
"He knew what he was there for," Mr. Greenslade says. "He enjoyed what he was doing; he loved his job."
His parents acknowledged that commitment to duty in a statement yesterday:
"When David left New Brunswick, he was fully aware of the dangers that he would face and he faced those dangers with bravery and courage. We are very proud of him and we are thankful that though his life has been much shorter than we would have wished, he died doing what he believed was right."
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Youngest soldier killed in bomb attack 'died a brave man'
CHRIS MORRIS
Canadian Press
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — The youngest Canadian soldier killed in an Easter Sunday attack in Afghanistan was remembered at his funeral as a sweet-tempered boy who loved his family, hockey and life.
Pte. David Greenslade, 20, was buried in his hometown of Saint John, N.B., on Thursday, the third of eight soldiers to be laid to rest this week as a result of roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan.
A fourth funeral was held Thursday in St. Mary's, N.L., for Pte. Kevin Kennedy, who was killed in the same attack as Greenslade.
In Saint John, more than 700 mourners crowded into the Main Street Baptist Church to grieve Pte. Greenslade's death and comfort his parents, Don and Laurie, who lost their only child.
“He died a brave man,” Alex Oldfield said in a tearful tribute to his best friend. “He died a hero.”
A slide show flashed pictures of Pte. Greenslade's life, showing a handsome young man dressed for a school prom, as well as photos of him canoeing, swimming and golfing with his buddies.
Pastor Stephen McMullin said the value of a life cannot be measured simply by the number of years a person lives, but by the contributions they make.
“His life was short, but it has meant a great deal,” the pastor said.
Pte. Greenslade was one of six Canadian soldiers killed April 8 when the light-armoured vehicle in which they were travelling struck a roadside bomb. The men died instantly.
Just a few days later, two more Canadian soldiers, Master Cpl. Allan Stewart and Trooper Patrick Pentland, were killed in a similar explosion, making it the worst single week for Canadian casualties in the war-torn country.
“When we said farewell to the soldiers as they were getting on the airplanes to go to Afghanistan, we looked each one in the eye and shook every hand and we hoped they would spend seven months there and then come back to us,” said Col. Ryan Jestin, commander at CFB Gagetown.
“This is the hardest thing to do, saying farewell like this ... this is truly difficult, and so many at once.”
Two of the soldiers killed in the Easter Sunday attack, Sgt. Don Lucas and Cpl. Aaron Williams, were buried on Wednesday.
In St. Mary's, N.L., on Thursday, bright yellow ribbons and Canadian flags lined the town's main street as mourners gathered at a local church for Pte. Kennedy's funeral.
John Gibbons, a navy retiree who met Pte. Kennedy last Christmas, remembered the soldier as a well-liked young man.
Navy Lt. Jim Russell, the chaplain with Canadian Forces Station St. John's, said support from the small town has been incredibly uplifting during a very difficult time.
Funerals will be held Friday for Cpl. Brent Poland in Sarnia, Ont., and Master Cpl. Christopher Stannix in Halifax.
All six soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based at CFB Gagetown near Fredericton.
Services for Master Cpl. Stewart and Trooper Pentland, who were from New Brunswick but were based at CFB Petawawa, Ont., also will be held this week.
The funeral for Master Cpl. Stewart will be in Ontario on Friday, while Trooper Pentland's service will be held at CFB Gagetown on Saturday at 1 p.m.
A memorial service for all of the slain soldiers is being planned for next Wednesday at Gagetown.
On Wednesday, an unidentified Canadian soldier working with special operations forces in Afghanistan died when he fell from a communications tower.
Fifty-four Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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When sorrow won't be silenced
Courage: After her son David was killed in Afghanistan, Laurie Greenslade became the face of every grieving military mother in Canada
MARTY KLINKENBERG
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
Published Saturday September 8th, 2007
Appeared on page A1
David Greenslade smiles brightly in the last photograph taken of him. In the driver's seat of a light-armoured vehicle in the desert in Afghanistan, he waves one dirty hand and snaps his own picture with the other.
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"It is almost like he is saying goodbye," his mother, Laurie Greenslade, says as she sits in her living room in Saint John, surrounded by hundreds of red ribbons.
It has been five months since their only child was killed by a roadside bomb, but Laurie and her husband, Don, have yet to unpack the boxes the 20-year-old private had with him in Kandahar.
His friends have returned home from the mission that took David's life. They had a barbecue and bonfire with his parents, sitting in their front yard, on the banks of the Kennebecasis River. They told stories about David into the night. Hearing his buddies talk rubbed in that he isn't coming home.
So his belongings sit untouched.
"This isn't the time for that," Laurie says. "This is a time to go forward with David's mission."
On Sept. 28, Laurie and Don Greenslade will plant a red oak along Harbour Passage as a memorial to their son, who died on Easter with fellow members of Gagetown's 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. The same day, during a Red Friday Support Rally that is expected to draw 20,000 to the Saint John waterfront, they will announce a one-time scholarship they hope becomes an annual gift.
"David was a fantastic kid, but we're not mad at the army, we're not mad at God and we're not mad at David," Laurie says. "I don't want people to feel sorry for us.
"I know David wanted to help people there."
Even before her son died, Laurie encouraged co-workers to wear red on Fridays as a show of support for Canadian soldiers. After his death, however, she and her husband expanded the effort, distributing red ribbons in banks, churches, coffee shops and supermarkets across the city.
With help from friends, they have handed out 30,000, and hope to pass out another 10,000 on Red Friday, a rally being organized with help from the City of Saint John. Lt.-Col. Rob Walker, commanding officer of the battle group in Afghanistan, will be part of a contingent attending from CFB Gagetown, along with veterans and war brides. Chris Roy, Josh King and Pat Leblanc, close friends who served with Greenslade in Kandahar, will also participate.
"David told me he couldn't live with himself if he didn't go to Afghanistan with his friends," Laurie says. "And I know David is happy they are back, that they made it home safely.
"How can I be sad?"
David Greenslade is one of 70 Canadian soldiers to die fighting the Taliban, and was one of seven men with ties to New Brunswick to die in roadside bombings during the same awful week in April. Unlike almost every other grieving military parent, however, the Greenslades have not avoided the spotlight in the aftermath.
Devoutly religious, Laurie has become the face of the mother of every Canadian soldier, appearing on television while trying to inspire moral support for the troops.
"I have always been a very private person, but being a spokesman for this is worth anything it helps support them," she says. "It doesn't matter if I fall flat on my face or if my hair looks funny on TV.
"I know my motives are pure. It's not something I ever set out to do. It just kicked in. It has to do with the way David was. He loved attention. As a child, it was always, 'Look at me, look at me, look at me.' So I know he would have loved this."
City officials are asking companies to extend their employees' lunch break so they can share in the 90-minute rally, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Six thousand students from 10 schools will participate, including choirs from Saint John and Harbour View high schools.
CTV anchor Steve Murphy will preside over the program, which will include parades, pipers and trumpeters, and an appearance by country music performer Julian Austin, who entertained troops in Kandahar and is donating $5 from each sale of his current CD - Red & White - to a fund for wounded soldiers. Gen. Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces, will deliver a video message. Firefighters and other volunteers will collect donations throughout the event to help pay for the rally and bankroll the David Greenslade bursary.
"When it comes to down to it, what this amounts to is one mother reaching out to other mothers across the country to let them know that we care about their sons and daughters and want them to get home safely,'' Saint John councilor Ivan Court says. "It's going to be a rally for those who have served, those who are serving and those who are going to serve.
"We have young men and women from here leaving to serve over there, young people who are willing to give their life for others, and I think it is important to recognize and support them."
A former teacher at St. Malachy's Memorial High, Court lost his son at 18 to mononucleosis in 1992.
"I understand the pain these people feel," says Court, who helped the Greenslades hand out 5,000 pins at Wal-Mart over the last two months. "We're supposed to be buried by our children rather than the other way around.
"That pain never goes away."
Trees around the Greenslades' home in the city's north end are wrapped in yellow ribbons. There are ribbons tied to the front porch, and on a bench at the water's edge a few metres from their door. A row of tiny Canadian flags run the length of their driveway, and the cars parked in it have memorials to their son and his fallen comrades inscribed in the back windows.
A sticker on the rear of one car reads, "If You Don't Stand Behind Our Troops, Feel Free to Stand in Front of Them."
Despite her brave face, Laurie Greenslade says she is occasionally overcome by waves of sadness when she thinks about her son, who joined a reserve unit in Grade 11 and had been in the regular forces for only 17 months when he died in the desert.
"I know what heartbreaking feels like now," she says.
She says she hopes everyone will wear red on Sept. 28, and on every Friday, for that matter. And if red isn't your colour, "We have ribbons, and they're free, and we'll even deliver them."
Yes, her only son is gone. But her mission isn't over.
"Every now and then I ask David, 'Am I done yet?'' she says. "He was our whole life, but we have no regrets. He was worth every amount of energy and effort we put into it.
"That's why we are still going on like this."
Marty Klinkenberg is contributing editor of the Telegraph-Journal. He was embedded with Canadian troops in Kandahar when David Greenslade and five other soldiers riding in his light-armoured vehicle were killed on Easter Sunday. He can be reached at martyklinkenberg@hotmail.com.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well, that about says all that can be said, but needs to be kept on saying...i hope all will join in...ranrad
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Jim Hickson
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Hi Ron
Well said!!!
Jim
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1965-1967 Sigs Pl Cyprus Prom CPL 'til xmas and C of Drums
1967-1973 Cpl, MCpl, Sgt, Sigs, D Coy
1973-1977 CFOCS Chilliwack Prom WO
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1982-1984 SIT School
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Fallen soldier's parents are rallying their hopes
Canadian Press
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 – Page A5
SAINT JOHN -- Normal will never be normal again for Laurie and Donnie Greenslade, whose son, David, was killed in Afghanistan in the spring.
But the Saint John couple are hoping a rally for Canadian troops later this month will give them the strength to go through a number of boxes that contain their son's belongings.
The young private, along with five other soldiers, was killed in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday.
"I would really like to unpack David's stuff," Ms. Greenslade said at the couple's home. "I haven't done one thing. And maybe write some thank you notes."
Mr. Greenslade holds a listing of his son's belongings that were returned from Afghanistan and his quarters at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.
Twenty years of memories and belongings summed up in five pages. A hockey helmet. Bible. Spider-Man poster. Clothes. DVDs and a DVD player. Throughout the list the word "green" appears regularly. Their son's world was a sea of army green.
The Greenslades have embarked on a campaign to recognize and support the Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
It will culminate on Sept. 28 with the Red Friday Support Rally in Saint John. Students, members of the Royal Canadian Legion, firefighters, police and the general public will march through the downtown with a colour guard.
About 15,000 people are expected to attend.
The Greenslades hope businesses will allow employees an extended lunch hour on the day so they can attend the rally, which is expected to last 90 minutes.
Any proceeds left over from the cost of the rally will be put toward a bursary in Pte. Greenslade's name. People can donate directly to the bursary, which will benefit any young cadet or military personnel who plan to further their education beyond high school.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Ron [Andy] Andrews
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May this day go very well, as it should and may you the parents gain some solace from your sons belongings, remembering just how much he did for all of mankind in a very short time...ranrad
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Bereaved parents of N.B. soldier bring new meaning to Remembrance Day
SAINT JOHN, N.B. - In one of the last photos taken of Pte. David Greenslade, he's holding up his hand in what is meant to be a friendly and comforting wave "hello" from inside the armoured vehicle he drove.
He took the picture himself to send home to his mom and dad, Laurie and Don Greenslade, giving them an idea of daily life during dangerous, front-line missions in Afghanistan.
It's just one of many photos of the handsome 20-year-old private fooling around. But when Laurie first saw it, just weeks after David was killed in action, she knew this picture had special meaning.
"It was like he was waving goodbye to us," she says softly.
Few other Canadians will experience this Remembrance Day in the way the Greenslades of Saint John, N.B., will experience it.
Laurie will be the Silver Cross mother for the wreath-laying ceremony in Saint John, one of the newest members of a new generation of bereaved parents who have lost sons and daughters in war.
David was killed on Easter Sunday, one of six soldiers who died when the LAV in which they were travelling near Kandahar City triggered a massive improvised explosive device.
When two more soldiers were killed just a couple of days later in another roadside bomb attack, Easter week became the deadliest combat week for Canadian Forces since the Korean War.
Almost from the moment they heard about their son's death, Laurie and Don have been speaking publicly about their loss and the need for Canadians to support the troops, even if they have mixed feelings about the mission.
Laurie in particular has been a front-line worker in establishing the Red Friday Rally in which people are encouraged to wear red or at least red ribbons in a symbolic show of encouragement for Canadian Forces.
"We're all Canadians and we should support each other," she says firmly.
"Even if you're not for the mission, the fact that they are over there risking their futures, their health, their families' peace of mind - everything to go do this job - that merits our support and prayers."
At their home, which sits on the banks of the picturesque Kennebecasis River in Saint John, Don and Laurie are surrounded by memories of their only child, almost like an embrace.
The family dog, Colby, an eight-year-old Airedale, spends every night curled up among David's personal effects in his bedroom closet. In the living room, David's medals and a large framed photo of the smiling soldier dominate a corner of the room.
The couple only recently found the emotional stamina to sort through his personal effects returned to them from Afghanistan and from his home base at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.
Laurie says that in his journal from Afghanistan, David promised he would live an "amazing" life. That lost future included grandchildren for his doting parents, who freely admit their beautiful son was the centre of their lives.
"His passion for life, his enthusiasm, the way he loved his friends, his smiles, his jokes," Laurie says when asked what she will remember about David on Remembrance Day.
"When he walked through the door, our lives started. He was our whole life."
Don says he remembers his son's passion for the military.
David joined the reserves in high school. He had been in the regular forces only 17 months when he was shipped to Afghanistan last January.
"He really saw it as being part of a band of brothers," Don says, referring to Shakespeare's immortal words about the close bond between soldiers: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."
"Perhaps because he was an only child, the closeness with his friends and comrades meant a great deal to him," says Don.
And he obviously meant a great deal to them, as illustrated by their efforts to keep in touch with David's parents.
David was a primary LAV driver, but on the day he died a secondary driver had taken the wheel, giving David a chance a to sleep in the back of the armoured carrier. The driver survived.
"I wanted to make sure I had an opportunity to speak to the driver," Laurie says of a recent meeting with him.
"David had written in his journal that he wanted to have an amazing life when he came back. So I said to this man, 'I want you to have an amazing life for him.' I tell all his friends that. There should be no guilt in this. They were doing their job."
David's friends who survived the explosion have assured Don and Laurie their son was sound asleep when the bomb detonated.
"That was good to know," she says. "He wasn't aware of anything and it was fast."
Laurie says that she and her husband are sustained by their strong Christian faith. She says they take comfort in the fact that David died on Easter Sunday, and consider it a message of hope.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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