FAREWELL TO A SON
Slain soldier laid to rest
Another Saturday morning, another soldier mourned.
The colourful lives D-Day veteran Ernest Côtê and Sgt. Andrew Doiron lived and the wars they fought were certainly different, yet they share in death some striking similarities. Both men were called heroes by their comrades, family and friends; both men leave behind storied careers on the battlefield; and both men were laid to rest inside Ottawa’s Notre Dame Cathedral on consecutive weekends.
A member of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, Doiron was killed March 6 by Kurdish forces during a friendly-fire incident in Iraq. News of his tragic death broke hours after the funeral for Côté, a veteran, diplomat and decorated civil servant who died last month at 101.
Doiron, a 31-year-old from Moncton, N.B., joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2002 and completed three deployments in Afghanistan. He was based out of CFB Petawawa.
He is the first Canadian soldier killed in Iraq during the current mission. Three of his comrades were wounded in the incident.
“Our son gave all and, through his loss, we gave all,” Doiron’s family said this week in a statement.
Reporters were asked to not cover the funeral service from inside the cathedral, nor the interment ceremony that followed at Beechwood National Military Cemetery.
A soft rain fell from pale grey skies as the procession arrived. Across the street, in front of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa firefighters, wearing special dress uniforms, raised a giant Canadian flag in Doiron’s honour.
Elsewhere, at the National War Memorial, flags were at half-mast.
A small crowd of people gathered at the intersection of St. Patrick Street and Sussex Drive to quietly pay their respects when the funeral procession arrived and again, about 75 minutes later, when it departed for Beechwood.
Doiron, who was known to friends as Drew, leaves behind his parents, Raymond and Peggy, sister Lindsay, as well as aunts, uncles, and a wide circle of friends.
“Andrew lived the warrior mentality and strived to be the best at whatever he chose to do. He lived and breathed the military, proudly serving Canada. Drew’s determination was instilled in those around him. We know that Drew’s dedication, qualities, inspiration and strength will carry on in his memory,” an obituary for Doiron says.
“Drew was an amazing and accomplished human being, a true friend, a mentor and a hero.”
Ontario’s Community Safety Minister Yasir Naqvi attended the service on behalf of the provincial government and described it afterward as solemn.
“It was a very sombre service to pay respect to somebody who really believed in Canada, who believed in being a member of Canadian Forces,” he said.
“He’s too young to not be with us.”
According to Naqvi, Doiron was brought to life for mourners through the words of his sister and two friends who are also members of the Canadian Forces.
Doiron’s sister, a member of the RCMP, spoke about how much the two had in common and about how the last time they met, they marched together in Moncton after three RCMP officers were killed, Naqvi said.
Pierre Lemieux, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of Veterans Affairs, also attended the funeral.
As the procession pulled away, a group of men held placards on the street corner, one of which read, “Kurdistan mourns with you.”
Yusuf Celik of the Kurdish Youth Association of Canada said he and two others wanted to pay respect to Doiron, who, he said, sacrificed his life to fight against the threat of ISIS.
“We are here to show our respect and love and sadness,” Celik said.
Some soldiers, as they passed by, thanked the men for their condolences.