KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Into a glorious setting sun and the belly of a Canadian Forces Hercules, the Maple Leaf-draped casket of Capt. Richard Leary, "Stevo" to his friends, was carried Wednesday to start the final trip home from the war zone of Afghanistan.
"His wish to serve his country by leading his troops into combat was one of his greatest desires," said Canadian battle group chaplain Capt. Darren Persaud. "When he was informed that he was coming to Afghanistan, he could not have been happier."
Thousands of NATO troops lined the runway as Leary's company comrades, followed by a piper playing a lament, carried the coffin into the aircraft bound for home.
NATO soldiers salute the Maple Leaf-draped casket of Capt. Richard "Stevo" Leary, killed in battle west of Kandahar City Tuesday.
Doug Schmidt/Windsor Star
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Leary, 32, was the second Canadian soldier in a month to die in an ambush while on foot patrol west of Kandahar City. He was leading his platoon during a small-arms fire fight Tuesday morning when he was shot - the 84th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002.
"He was always pushing it, pushing it as much as he could . . . he was a real inspiration to his troops," said Lt.-Col. Dave Corbould, battle group commander with Canada's Joint Task Force Afghanistan.
Corbould said Leary's men would likely hold a small ceremony in the field but that they would not be interrupting their work.
"As Capt. Leary was loyal to his men, they're loyal to his memory and they're getting on with the mission," he said.
Leary is survived by his wife and high school sweetheart Rachel of Shilo, Man., his Brantford, Ont., parents and a sister. A McMaster University history graduate who completed officer training in Sept. 2006, Leary served with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based at CFB Shilo. He was serving his first tour in Afghanistan.
