Emotions Raw At Funeral For Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
Posted August 2, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Saying a final goodbye to a loved one who died much too young and tragically is almost impossible.
That’s the task the family of Corporal Jason Warren had to face Wednesday, at the soldier’s funeral in Montreal.
A solemn procession of Canadian Forces members carried his coffin, draped in the Canadian flag, into a church for the grievous goodbye.
Warren and his colleague Francisco Gomez were killed last month in a suicide attack in Afghanistan, the first such offensive against Canadian troops in the war torn country.
His visibly shaken father had trouble getting the words out as he recalled the life and loss of his 29-year-old son.
“Jason, always remain in our hearts. He never will be forgotten,” cried Gerald Warren. “Your last call was to your mom, and you gave her the greatest son a mother could ever have. Your last words to her were ‘I love you, mom.'”
Warren was remembered as a man who loved any reason to laugh and above all, a soldier dedicated to his mission.
“People ask me why we go and fight other people’s war,” Cpl. Tom Meisner, Waren’s friend, told the grieving crowd. “I tell them they’re wrong. They are wrong. Everyone on this planet deserves to live in dignity. What you want to see is us continue this mission.”
Both Corporal Gomez and Corporal Warren will be laid to rest Thursday at the national military cemetery in Ottawa.
A total of 20 Canadians – 19 soldiers and one diplomat – have been killed in Afghanistan since our troops were deployed there in 2002.
