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Newfoundland soldier who survived Sunday’s roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan ‘emotionally torn’
 
The Canadian Press and The Telegram - 09/04/07

The mother of Newfoundland soldier Master Cpl. Bill Molloy — who survived a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan Sunday that killed six of his comrades in the LAV-3 armoured vehicle the soldiers were travelling in — said the incident has left her son emotionally torn.

“His wife has been speaking to him,” said Donna Molloy of her 30-year-old son. “He said he was OK, mentally and physically.”

Speaking from her home in St. Lawrence, Molloy said, “But I know personally he is emotionally torn. He has to be. As are all the soldiers that were there.”

Master Cpl. Molloy was among 10 soldiers who were accompanying coalition convoys to the Sangin district, the scene of fierce fighting between the coalition and the Taliban, when the bomb exploded.

Two of the soldiers tragically killed are from Newfoundland and Labrador — 31-year-old Sgt. Donald Lucas of St. John's and 20-year-old Pte. Kevin Kennedy of St. Lawrence.

Donna Molloy said her son and Kennedy were both involved with cadets growing up in the small south coast town.

“(Kevin) was well-liked, and had no problems with anybody,” she said.

The six soldiers killed Sunday make it the deadliest day for Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Kennedy and Lucas were two of five soldiers from the Gagetown, N.B.-based 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. The other three were Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, of Lincoln, N.B.; Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20, of Saint John, N.B.; and a soldier who was not identified at the request of his family. Also killed was Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, of Dartmouth, N.S., who was a reservist from the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers.

The explosion injured two other Canadian soldiers, one seriously.

Lt.-Col. Rob Walker, commander of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, said all six people who died were in the back of the LAV. Three people in the front and one person in the back survived, he said.

The men were on their final convoy escort mission in the desert wilds near Helmand province. Walker said the soldiers were due to return to the base at Kandahar for a rest and to refit their vehicles after six weeks in the field.

Walker said the LAV-3 from Hotel company hit a mine trying to cross a choke point in an area dotted by irrigation wells. He said it is too soon to say whether ammunition inside the LAV contributed to the force of the blast or if the insurgents just planted a particularly large mine.

Premier Danny Williams today expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of the six Canadian Forces soldiers in Afghanistan on the Easter weekend.

“Our hearts are broken for the families of those who have sacrificed their lives so tragically and valiantly. On a day when we are remembering tragic losses in past wars, we are saddened that our sons and daughters continue to pay the ultimate price to secure peace and freedom,” Williams said. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to all the colleagues and loved ones of the brave soldiers who lost their lives or suffered injuries. We will never forget the sacrifice they have made."

Flags at Confederation Building will be flown at half staff to honour Sgt. Lucas and Pte. Kennedy.

Canadians are among 4,500 NATO and 1,000 Afghan soliders involved in Operation Achilles — one of the largest multinational forces fielded in a single operation in Afghanistan.

The military said in March that a force of more than 200 soldiers from the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group would be supporting the offensive by setting up a blocking position in the Maywand district just inside the northwestern border of Kandahar province.

Kandahar province, where Canada’s 2,500 troops operate, is adjacent to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.