Fallen Soldier Laid To Rest In Ottawa
Posted June 7, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
One of the saddest chapters in recent Canadian history has come to a solemn end in Ottawa, as the first female soldier killed in combat was officially laid to rest.
Captain Nicola Goddard died May 17th when her armoured vehicle was hit by a bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Funeral services for the 26-year-old wife and daughter were held two weeks ago in Calgary, but her interment didn’t take place until Wednesday.
Her final resting place is one reserved only for those who lost their lives in the service of their country – the National Military Cemetery.
The solemn service began with the skirl of bagpipes, and then an honour guard of soldiers slowly carried the coffin to the graveside to the beat of a single drum.
In one of the more poignant moments, the Canadian flag that had draped the late soldier’s coffin was repeatedly folded and presented to her husband, Jason Beam, who sat stoically at the graveside watching his wife’s final journey.
The ceremony came on the same day the al-Jazeera network reported the Taliban had abducted several Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
Officials here ordered an immediate head count be conducted overseas, but say there’s no truth to the claim, which they label a frequent propaganda ploy by the rebels.
