The flag-draped caskets carrying Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan Stock and Cpl. Dustin Wasden were loaded onto a transport plane at Kandahar Airfield on Friday. (CBC)The loss of three Edmonton-based soldiers has filled comrades with feelings of both sorrow and pride, the commanding officer of the three said Friday as soldiers shared stories about their friends.

"We certainly feel sorrow for the loss of our comrades and for the difficult times the families have to go through, but we take pride in the job that these soldiers do," Col. Andre Corbould of 1 Canadian Mechanized Bridgade said in Edmonton.

Corbould said soldiers remain committed to the military mission in Afghanistan and will continue to soldier on despite increasingly aggressive Taliban tactics.

The three combat engineers — Sgt. Shawn Eades, Sapper Stephan Stock and Cpl. Dustin Wasden — died Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their armoured vehicle on a deadly stretch of highway in southern Afghanistan. The attack marked the deadliest for Canadian troops this year.

Sgt. Shawn Eades was one of the three killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in the Zhari district of Afghanistan. (DND)More than 2,000 NATO troops bade farewell to the three Friday as the flag-draped caskets were loaded onto a transport plane at the Kandahar Airfield for the long journey home, while soldiers relayed stories about their comrades at a press conference in Edmonton.

The soldiers spoke of their admiration for the three men, remarking on their work ethic as well as dedication to their families.

Eades 'like a big brother'

Eades was described as a hard-working man who taught them martial arts and acted like a mentor. The 33-year-old Hamilton, Ont., father of two was on his third tour in Afghanistan.

"He was the kind of guy you looked at like a big brother," said Lt.-Col. Edward Izatt of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment. Izatt served twice in Afghanistan with Eades.

"He was an extremely competent leader, mentor, excellent soldier. … Everybody misses him."

Another comrade, Cpl. Sean MacCready, remembered sharing a few beers with the Saskatchewan soldier, Wasden, before heading to Afghanistan. The father was called Wassie by his friends.

"There was one beer left and he told me … 'MacCready, I'm going to save this beer for when you get back,'" he said.

"I said in the back of my head, 'Yeah, OK, Wassie. Whatever.' And sure enough, the day I got back, I went over to his place and there's a stickie on this beer that said 'That's MacCready's. Do not touch.'"

August a deadly month

A close comrade of Stock, 25, of Campbell River, B.C., expressed his admiration for the soldier and said he sometimes looked to him for reassurance and confirmation on various tasks.

"He would have been proud ... to have sacrificed himself serving his country and assisting the Afghani people to have a better country and a better life," said Sapper Johnathan Allison, who spent about a year in training with Stock.

August has been a trying month for foreign troops in the war-torn country, with the death of 10 French soldiers and three Polish ones in the past few days. Two other Canadian soldiers and two Canadian aid workers also died in mid-August.

But even though troops were cognizant of the losses, the "overwhelming sense" on Friday was "business as usual" and they remain resolved to continue the mission, said CBC reporter Derek Stoffel.

'We have all been deeply saddened'

Family members said Sapper Stephan Stock, 25, of B.C. 'wanted his friends to have no fear for him because he had no fear of the mission in Afghanistan.' (DND)Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson acknowledged Thursday that the recent months have seen increasingly aggressive attacks by the Taliban, but said the insurgents fail to hold the ground.

Taliban attacks are "absolutely not" whittling away at the resolve of Canadian troops, he said.

"If we leave this people, if we leave the population of Kandahar province in the hands of the Taliban, we just won't be performing our duty and our soldiers know that," he said.

All three soldiers killed Wednesday were part of a tight-knit group of combat engineers as part of the 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton. They were attached to the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group while in Kandahar.

"We will remember Sgt. Eades, Cpl. Wasden and Sapper Stock as truly dedicated Canadian soldiers who served their country with professionalism and courage," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in a press release.

"We have all been deeply saddened to hear of the deaths," said the statement. Another soldier, whose name was not released, was also injured in Wednesday's attack.

New rotation ships out

Cpl. Dustin Wasden grew up in Saskatchewan and leaves behind a wife and a young daughter. (DND)The latest three deaths bring the total number of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002 to 93.

About 2,500 Canadian soldiers are now serving in Afghanistan, most of them in the volatile south. Another rotation prepared Friday to depart an eastern Ontario base for Afghanistan.

The soldiers will ship out of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa after a departure ceremony Friday afternoon.

CBC reporter Chris Goldrick, reporting from the base, said that soldiers in the new rotation seem eager to begin the mission and put their skills into practice after lengthy training.

For the past year, training has focused on urban warfare and how to fight insurgents in close quarters, scenarios troops will often encounter in Afghan villages, he said.

But Goldrick also noted there was a palpable feeling of nervousness among soldiers, not for their own safety but for family members worrying about their safety.

A majority of the 2,500 soldiers will be entering Afghanistan for the first time.