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Roadside bomb kills 1 Canadian soldier, wounds 4 in Afghanistan
He was originally from Ein Ebel.
May he rest in peace.
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Latest fallen soldier begins journey home as family mourns Family say Marc Diab dreamed as a child of being a soldier.
As his family mourned in Ontario, a coffin carrying the body of Marc Diab — the latest Canadian Forces soldier killed in Afghanistan — was loaded on a Hercules plane in Kandahar Monday, marking the beginning of his journey home.
Diab, 22, was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb northeast of Kandahar city, becoming the 112th Canadian soldier to die as part of the Afghan mission and the fourth in less than a week.
More than 2,000 NATO soldiers gathered near the transport plane waiting to receive Diab’s flag-draped casket during a sombre ramp ceremony.
Capt. Roy Laudenorio, the battle group padre, called Diab a man of courage and told his grieving friends to take comfort in having walked in the young man's company.
"Trooper Diab is best remembered by his peers as a hard worker — a man who wants to make a difference in people's lives."
Added Lt.-Col. Roger Barrett, 3 Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group commander, in a statement, "Members of Task Force Kandahar are committed to improving security and increasing development in Kandahar province. Despite these cowardly attacks, we are determined to continue working with our Afghan and international partners towards a better future for the people of Afghanistan."
Meanwhile, in Mississauga, Ont., Diab's family gathered to mourn, remembering him for his big heart and the joy and laughter he brought to the lives of those around him.
Pride as a soldier
Diab’s mother, Jihan Diab, said her son was proud to be a soldier and had dreamed of a military career since he was eight years old.
Diab wanted to continue his military career after his five-year stint was done in 2011, she said.
"What a hero he is. He was never scared. He wanted peace for every single part of the world," said Jihan Diab. "He had plans to study and do something else within the military.… he told me, 'Mom, it’s good. I won’t be in danger so much.'"
Diab was also planning to marry his long-time girlfriend Mary Baraka after she finished university, buy an apartment and start a family, she added.
Baraka told the Toronto Star the couple was supposed to get engaged this summer.
"He told me he was coming at the end of April, but apparently it was supposed to be a surprise and he [was] coming at the end of March," she said.
"Of course he's going to be mad at us now that everybody's crying."
Added his sister, Jessica Diab, "I feel he would be happy knowing that he did what he had wanted to do all his life.… even if we do not feel the same way."
Lebanese immigrants
The Diab family moved to Canada from war-torn Lebanon in 2000. Canadian and Lebanese flags fly outside their home.
Diab still had ties to his native Lebanon and wrote on a networking site for expatriates that he would return to the country some day.
Online condolences are being sent to his family through a web page set up in his honour.
Diab loved children and was leader of a yearly church camp for kids, where he taught outdoor survival skills, and he was preparing for this year’s camp even from Afghanistan, his mother said.
Jessica Diab pointed to a big 'Thank You' card written by those children for her brother. It was displayed at the Diab home beside a large picture of him in uniform.
"They were saying good bye to him because he was going in September to Afghanistan. All the kids wrote this card for him — 'Good bye we are going to miss you.' Even though he was only 22 years old he loved everyone. He was an amazing guy. He was loving and caring," she said.
Diab also played keyboards and taught Arabic at Toronto’s Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church.
Father Emmanuel Nakhle said Diab was a born leader and a hero to the children.
"He was deeply involved in the community and for sure the community will miss such a person and for long years. It was shocking news."
The family had been counting the days for Diab's return to Canada. Now, his body is expected back in Canada on Wednesday.
PM praises dedication to duty
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Diab "paid the ultimate price" and was an example of the bravery and outstanding dedication of the Canadian soldiers on the mission.
Diab was a member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons based in Petawawa, Ont. He was serving as a member of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group based in Petawawa, Ont., the military said.
He was killed in an attack in the southern part of Shah Wali Kot district, a mountainous region well known as an entry point for Taliban fighters.
In Afghanistan, Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance said Diab died in "pursuit of a noble goal — the desire to transform an “unstable and impoverished country into a secure and self-sufficient nation."
Four other Canadian soldiers wounded in the attack are reported in stable condition. Three of them were flown to a medical facility in Landstuhl, Germany. Their names will not be released.
Tribute to the Canadian Soldier from Lebanese origins killed in Afghanistan -
10th March 2009
