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Standing outside the base perimeter fence, civilians intermixed with military personnel and veterans watched the repatriation ceremony for Sgt. Martin Goudreault Wednesday.
Inside the wire, family members — flanked by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Gen. Walt Natynczyk, chief of the defence staff — wiped away tears as pallbearers from 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group carried Goudreault's flag-draped coffin to a waiting hearse.
Goudreault, 35, was killed Sunday after a makeshift bomb detonated during a foot patrol, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City, in the Panjwayi District.
A member of the 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton, Goudreault was serving in Afghanistan as a member of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.
Ankeny, Iowa resident George Laxamana was one of the hundreds lining Repatriation Row to pay their last respects as the long procession of funeral cars slowly made its way to the Highway of Heroes.
Laxamana, who was in Trenton visiting his son who works at the base, said he had never witnessed a repatriation ceremony.
Laxamana said he has watched several ceremonies posted on YouTube. They made him cry.
“The way this is done in Canada is unbelievable,’’ said Laxamana, a Canadian engineer working in the U.S. “I'm glad our heroes are given so much respect.’’
Goudreault is the 147th member of the Canadian military to die since the Afghan mission began in 2002.
His parents told QMI Agency their son wanted to make a difference.
"We are both incredibly proud of Martin, he was doing what he truly wanted to do ... be in the army," Aurel and Micheline Goudreault said in a statement.
Goudreault, known as "Marty" to his friends, was a native of Sudbury.