A repatriation ceremony was held Wednesday afternoon for Pte. Tyler William Todd, a Canadian soldier killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.
The casket of Pte. Tyler William Todd from the 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, is carried from the military aircraft during a repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton on Wednesday. (Peter Redman/Canadian Press) Todd's body arrived at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, east of Toronto, at 2 p.m.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Gen. Walter Natynczyk, the chief of defence staff, joined relatives on the tarmac to pay their respects to the fallen soldier.
Todd, 26, was killed Sunday after he stepped on an IED while on foot patrol near Kandahar city.
Todd grew up on his family's farm in Bright, Ont., in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. He was a member of the 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
His parents described their son as an adventurous young man who never missed an opportunity to put a smile on someone's face.
"As a child, Tyler would dress in his grandfather's uniform. His need to join the army was inspired by his grandfather, John William Todd," his family said in a written statement.
Todd is the 142nd Canadian soldier to have died since the Afghan mission began in 2002.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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