Soldier’s body back in Canada
CFB TRENTON—
As his great- uncle played ‘‘ The Flowers of the Forest" lament on bagpipes Sunday, the body of Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield was returned to Canada. The flag- draped coffin arrived from Afghanistan and was escorted with an honour guard to a waiting hearse, while family, fellow soldiers and Defence Minister Bill Graham watched.
Woodfield died Nov. 24 near Kandahar, Afghanistan when an armoured vehicle — a LAV-3 in which he was the rear sentry — swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and rolled.
“ This is a difficult day for all of us,” said Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff. “( We are here) to grieve with his family and to say farewell to him.”
His remains were taken to Toronto for an autopsy at the provincial coroner’s office, standard procedure when a Canadian soldier is killed. The autopsy is part of the military investigation, Hillier said.
Hillier and Graham both said they had spoken to the dead soldier’s parents, Bev and Daniel Woodfield, and they said they were very proud of their son, who died doing what he loved.
Cpl. Jeff Milne, who is stationed at CFB Trenton and is Woodfield’s cousin, said many family members had served or are serving in the military.
Woodfield’s father said his son was skilled with computers but decided to join the infantry so he could go to places like Afghanistan, where people need help. Woodfield had been serving in Afghanistan since August.
Milne said the man’s funeral will be Dec. 2 in Gagetown, N. B.
Woodfield is the eighth Canadian to die in Afghanistan since 2002.