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A former Niagara Falls, Ont., resident who was Killed Tuesday in Afghanistan is the 40th Canadian soldier to die there since 2002.
Cpl. Robert Mitchell, 32, married with three young children, moved to Owen Sound, Ont., after being raised in Niagara Falls but returned there to live for a short time before enlisting in the Canadian Armed Forces.
His father-in-law, Gary Hass of Fort Erie, said Mitchell attended Ontario's Niagara College for a while, but his ambition was to become a soldier.
"He was dedicated to his family and dedicated to his military career," Hass told the Niagara Falls, Ont., Review.
Hass said the family would have no comment for the media at this time. "We can only take things one day at a time," he said.
Mitchell's wife, Leanne, and the couple's three children, ages 5, 3, and 2, recently moved into a new house near the Petawawa, Ont., Canadian Forces Base, about 175 miles northeast of Toronto.
Mitchell didn't serve with the Niagara Peninsula's Lincoln and Welland Regiment - which has five soldiers in Afghanistan - but the loss was felt throughout the Niagara area.
"His death affects us all," said Sgt. Douglas Pirko of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
Mitchell and Sgt. Craig Gillam, both members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, were killed and several soldiers wounded in an enemy attack about 18 miles outside Kandahar City.
The Canadian soldiers, members of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, were helping clear a right of way of mines and improvised explosive devices to make way for a road construction project when they came under attack from mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, the Canadian National Defence Department said in a news release.
None of the wounded Canadians suffered life-threatening injuries. They are being treated at the Canadian-led multinational hospital at Kandahar Airfield.
Canada has about 2,200 soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. Of the total number of Canadian deaths, 31 soldiers have been killed this year. Four of the deaths were accidental, and six were by friendly fire, including rocket fire from U.S. forces.
Please stop by these Fellow Lost Cherry Candian Veterans to pay your Respects.
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