The bodies of Sgt. Shawn Eades, left, Sapper Stephan Stock, centre, and Cpl. Dustin Wasden arrived back on Canadian soil from Afghanistan on Saturday. (DND) The bodies of three soldiers who were killed in southern Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded near their armoured vehicle were flown home to Canada on Saturday.
The three combat engineers — Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan Stock and Cpl. Dustin Wasden — died last Wednesday in the deadliest attack for Canadian troops this year.
All were part of the 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton and were attached to the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group while in Kandahar.
A repatriation ceremony was held at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont. The military said Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean would be in attendance, along with Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk.
Eades, 33, was a father of two from Hamilton, Ont. Stock, 25, was from Campbell River, B.C., while Wasden was from the Spiritwood area, about 200 kilometres north of Saskatoon, and leaves behind a wife and young daughter.
More than 2,000 NATO troops bade farewell to the three Friday as their flag-draped caskets were loaded onto a transport plane at the Kandahar Airfield for the journey home.
The deaths of Eades, Stock and Wasden raised to 93 the number of Canadian soldiers who have died in the Afghan mission since 2002.
A Canadian diplomat and two Canadian aid workers have also died in Afghanistan.
