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A website has been
created to pay tribute to Kevin Kennedy.
Feel
free to leave comments or send condolences.
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www.discoverstlawrence.com/kevin_kennedy |
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Newfoundlander killed in action
One of six dead after roadside attack in Afghanistan
THE CANADIAN PRESS—GAGETOWN, N.B.
The Telegram -
09/04/07
Just over a month before he died in the deadliest day of
fighting for Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, Pte. Kevin
Kennedy spoke of his excitement in being part of Operation
Achilles, a major offensive to drive the Taliban out of
Helmand province.
Kennedy, of St. Lawrence, could barely contain the rush of
adrenaline as he was interviewed by The Canadian Press in
early March.
“Everyone is really pumped here this morning,” Kennedy
said.
“We came here. We’ve trained for years and we are finally
going to go out and do our job and we are ready to do it.”
Kennedy, 20, was one of four soldiers from the Gagetown,
N.B.-based 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, who
died in a roadside bomb attack Sunday in southern
Afghanistan.
The other dead men were identified as Sgt. Donald Lucas,
31, of Burton, N.B., Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, of
Lincoln, N.B., and Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20, of
Saint John, N.B.
Also killed was Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, of
Dartmouth, N.S., who was a reservist from the
Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers.
A sixth soldier who was killed was not identified at the
request of his family.
But Wade Rowsell, the mayor of Kennedy’s hometown of about
1,500 people, remembered a young man with a lot of
potential.
“Kevin was certainly very jovial, very witty, and a
character of sorts, and a leader,” Roswell said in an
interview Sunday.
“He was always military-minded, wanted a career in the
military to serve his country, and certainly he did
admirably.”
He said Kennedy moved away from St. Lawrence after
graduating from high school a number of years ago and
began his military training.
He said the tight-knit community will be deeply affected
by the news.
“It’s very difficult to heal the wounded heart. We have to
be proud of his efforts for his country. This young
gentleman had so much to offer and it’s really tragic.”
New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham extended his sympathies
Sunday to the families of the soldiers, saying it was a
sad day for the province and the country.
The explosion in the Maywand district near the border with
Helmand province also caused serious but
non-life-threatening injuries to one Canadian soldier and
light injuries to another.
The more seriously injured soldier will likely be flown to
Germany for treatment at a U.S. military hospital.
Sunday’s toll brings the total number of Canadian soldiers
killed in Afghanistan since 2002 to 51. A Canadian
diplomat has also been killed.
“You can appreciate, clearly we are saddened by the loss
of six of our best soldiers … but we stay committed to the
mission,” said Col. Mike Cessford, deputy commander of
Task Force Afghanistan.
“This is what we do. We are focused on rebuilding
Afghanistan, on doing the right things for those kids who
wave at us every day as we drive down the roads here.”
Ten soldiers, all members of Hotel company, were in a
LAV-3 armoured vehicle when the blast occurred around 1:30
p.m.
They had been out in the desert for a month living off
their vehicles, eating field rations and sleeping under
the stars.
Over the past few days they were busy shepherding
coalition convoys to the Sangin district, the scene of
fierce fighting between the coalition and the Taliban.
Loved by the troops, the LAV-3 is an eight-wheeled, light
armoured vehicle capable of handling a variety of
armaments and reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h.
In Afghanistan, LAVs have weathered many roadside bombs
and suicide car bomb blasts, usually limping away with a
few destroyed tires.
Earlier this week, soldiers from Hotel company proudly
handed around home-made pictures and construction paper
cut-outs of Easter bunnies sent by their children, with
greetings and endearments scrawled in crayon.
Some of the troops said they were going to save their
treats until Sunday.
Word that something terrible had happened quickly rippled
through the base at Kandahar as helicopters brought the
wounded in from Maywand.
Attempts by the troops to call home were stymied for hours
when the military imposed a communications lockdown
because of the deaths.
Speaking in France to mark the 90th anniversary of the
Battle of Vimy Ridge, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said
it has been a “difficult day in Afghanistan.”
He broke the news of the six deaths at a dinner for
veterans and said “our hearts ache for them and their
families.”
Hours before Sunday’s explosion, Lt.-Col. Rob Walker, the
battle group commander, said his troops were making
progress cracking down on Taliban roadside bomb activity
in some parts of Kandahar province.
He said his troops recently eliminated an insurgent
“cell”.
“We have killed or captured a number of individuals, and
we have had no mines or anything for at least a week now,”
Walker said.
There have been reports that Taliban leaders pay cash
bounties to insurgents for killing NATO troops and Afghan
security force members with roadside bombs.
Bronzed, sunburnt and dirty from their time in the desert,
the troops of Hotel company were in high spirits earlier
in the week.
On Thursday, some soldiers stripped off their sweaty body
armour after a day of patrolling in the desert and played
hacki-sack in a rough circle while listening to hip-hop
tunes. There was lots of laughter and joking.
Another soldier serenaded the sleepy crew of his light
armoured vehicle in the pre-dawn darkness by singing “Good
morning, good morning, to you” over the vehicle’s intercom
system, to catcalls and curses from his comrades.
Hours before the deaths were officially announced, a
subdued hush fell over Canadian troops at the base in
Kandahar as they tucked into their evening meal at the
dining hall, which was decorated with blue-painted Easter
eggs and chocolate bunnies wrapped in gold foil.
Without fanfare, soldiers at headquarters quietly lowered
the Canadian flag to half-mast in the darkness.
“It has been a bad day,” said one officer, his face
twisted in pain. |
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Relating Articles: |
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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. |
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Premier expresses condolences to families of two Newfoundland and
Labrador soldiers killed in Afghanistan
The Telegram -
09/04/07
Premier Danny Williams today expressed his deep sorrow
over the loss of the six Canadian Forces soldiers in
Afghanistan on the Easter weekend. Two of the soldiers
tragically killed Sunday in Afghanistan 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.
“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.
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.
Ten soldiers were travelling Sunday in a LAV-3 armoured
vehicle, accompanying coalition convoys to the Sangin
district, the scene of fierce fighting between the
coalition and the Taliban, when the bomb exploded.
The explosion injured two other Canadian soldiers, one
seriously.
Sunday’s toll brings the total number of Canadian soldiers
killed in Afghanistan since 2002 to 51. A Canadian
diplomat has also been killed.
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. |
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