Fallen Soldier’s Body Returns Home

As the body of Cpl. Anthony Boneca returns home from Afghanistan, a fight has broken out between his loved ones as to the slain Canadian soldier’s commitment to his mission.

Boneca’s father issued a statement Tuesday insisting that his son loved being in the army and was aware of the danger he faced in fighting Taliban rebels.

“In all my conversations with my son, there was never any mention of him not being well enough or fit enough to carry out his military duties,” the statement read.

“He said it was difficult to cope with the weather, the sand, and the situation the young children endured (but) he was proud to make a difference in their lives and said he wished these children could live like we do in Canada.”

Those words come in direct contrast with what the 21-year-old reservist’s girlfriend and best friend believe – they contend he felt misled and disillusioned with the army before being killed on the weekend.

Megan DeCorte, Boneca’s girlfriend, and his best friend Dylan Bulloch, say he wasn’t happy in Afghanistan and didn’t feel ready for the dangerous tasks put before him.

“He expected to be on patrol, not fighting a war for someone else,” said Larry DeCorte, Megan’s father. “He wasn’t ready for that.”

Boneca, of the Thunder Bay, Ont.-based Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, was to finish his tour of duty in three weeks.

His body will return to CFB Trenton for a private ceremony Wednesday evening – his family has allowed the media to cover the event from a distance.

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Canadian casualties in Afghanistan:

2002

April 18 (April 17 in Canada)

Four soldiers were killed and eight were wounded in a friendly-fire incident near Kandahar. A U.S. F-16 fighter jet mistakenly bombed the Canadians, who were on a pre-dawn training exercise. Killed were Sgt. Marc D. Leger, 29, of Lancaster, Ont., Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 24, of Montreal, Pte. Richard Green, 21, of Mill Cove, N.S., and Pte. Nathan Smith, 27, of Tatamagouche, N.S.

2003

Oct. 2

Two soldiers were killed and three wounded in a roadside bombing southwest of Kabul. Killed were Sgt. Robert Alan Short, 42, of Fredericton, and Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger, 29, of Ottawa.

2004

Jan. 27

One soldier died in a suicide bombing while on patrol near Kabul. Three others were wounded. Killed was Cpl. Jamie Brendan Murphy, 26, of Conception Harbour, Nfld.

2005

Nov. 24

One soldier lost his life and four were injured when the armoured vehicle they were travelling in rolled over near Kandahar. Killed was Pte. Braun Scott Woodfield, born in Victoria and raised in Eastern Passage, N.S.

2006

Jan. 15

A Canadian diplomat, Glyn Berry, was killed and three Canadian soldiers were wounded in a suicide bombing near Kandahar. Berry was born in Britain and had served with the Foreign Affairs Department since 1977 in various postings.

March 2

A soldier was killed and another later died from his injuries after their armoured vehicle ran off a road in the Kandahar area. Six others were injured. Killed were Cpl. Paul Davis of Bridgewater, N.S., and Master Cpl. Timothy Wilson of Grande Prairie, Alta..

March 29

One soldier died and three were wounded during a firefight with Taliban insurgents in Sangin district, Helmand province, north of Kandahar. Killed was Pte. Robert Costall, a machine-gunner, born in Thunder Bay, Ont., lived in the Edmonton area.

April 22

Four Canadian soldiers killed when their G-Wagon patrol vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb near Gumbad, about 75 kilometres north of Kandahar. Killed were Cpl. Matthew Dinning, of Richmond Hill, Ont., stationed with 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade in Petawawa, Ont.; Bombardier Myles Mansell, of Victoria; Lieut. William Turner, of Toronto, stationed in Edmonton; Cpl. Randy Payne, born in Lahr, Germany, stationed at CFB Wainright, Alta.

May 17

Capt. Nichola Goddard, an artillery officer, was killed in a Taliban ambush during a battle in the Panjwai region. She was first Canadian woman killed in action while serving in a combat role. Based in Shila, Man., with 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. Her parents live in Calgary; family originally from the Maritimes.

July 9

Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca, 21, a reservist from the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment based in Thunder Bay, Ont., died in a firefight near the village of Pashmol west of Kandahar City.