| Submit your comments on this article |
| Great White North |
| U.S. event to honour Canadian soldiers |
| 2005-05-22 |
| Four Canadian soldiers who died in Afghanistan after a U.S. military pilot dropped a bomb on them will be honoured Monday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. The ceremony will mark the first time the names of non-U.S. soldiers have been added to the Fort Campbell memorial wall honouring Americans killed in combat. Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Sgt. Marc Leger, Pte. Richard Green and Pte. Nathan Smith died from "friendly fire" when the pilot mistakenly bombed them as they conducted a military exercise in the dark hours of April 18, 2002. Eight others were injured. The Illinois National Guard pilot who dropped the bomb was found guilty last year of dereliction of duty. Maj. Harry Schmidt was banned from flying air force jets and docked a month's pay. Schmidt said he mistook Canadian gunfire for an attack from the Taliban. He also said his superiors didn't tell him the Canadians would be conducting live-fire exercises that night. Maj. William Umbach, the flight leader, was also charged, but those charges were later dropped. The relatives of the soldiers from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry will attend Monday's ceremony, which will also honour three U.S. soldiers. "I think it's quite an honour for the memory of our son," Nathan Smith's father, Lloyd, told the Canadian Press from Tatamagouche, N.S. "We're pleased that they invited us down." Nice gesture, I'd say. |
| Posted by:Rafael |