KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Six Canadian soldiers killed this week in Afghanistan are on their way home.
As the row of six light armoured vehicles bearing the flag-draped coffins of the men rolled slowly into formation Friday night, more than a thousand coalition troops stood at attention and in silence to honour Canada's fallen under the rising yellow Afghan moon.
Capt. Matt Dawe, Capt. Jefferson Francis, Master Cpl. Colin Bason, Cpl. Jordan Anderson, Cpl. Cole Bartsch and Pte. Lane Watkins were killed instantly when their armoured vehicle hit a massive roadside bomb southwest of Kandahar on Wednesday.
An Afghan interpreter named Hamid was also killed in the explosion.
"Greater love have no one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends," said Capt. Steele Lazerte as he solemnly prayed for the men and their families to find peace in the sorrow of their loss.
The men have been remembered and praised by their friends and colleagues as excellent soldiers committed to their jobs in Afghanistan.
One by one, their battlefield brothers gently eased the coffins from the LAV-3s, and in the order of rank began the slow march up the tarmac, the bagpipe's sad lament skirling through the hot air.
The emotion on their faces made it clear the men will be missed.
Bason was a reservist from The Royal Westminster Regiment based in New Westminster, B.C., and Francis from the 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based in Shiloh, Man.
Dawe, Anderson, Bartsch and Watkins belonged to 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, a regiment that's lost seven soldiers on this rotation of troops.
"There is no doubt it hurt," said Maj. Chris Henderson, the battalion commander, of how his soldiers have handled the loss. "They are truly 160 of some of the finest ambassadors of our great nation."
The solemnity of the ramp ceremony seemed to weigh heavier Friday night, the skirl of the bagpipes more heartwrenching as the troops watched their six fallen brothers leave Kandahar sooner than intended.
But as the war halts only for the fallen, the soldiers are already pulling themselves together to head back out into the field.
"We will surely circle the wagons, look after each other, get strength from the support being extended from our colleagues back home, indeed the nation at large and our families and get on with business until we're done here," said Henderson.
The men only had weeks left in their tour of duty before more than 2,000 soldiers from Quebec arrive to take up the next phase of Canada's efforts in Afghanistan.
It's been a harsh six-month rotation for the troops -- 22 have been killed since they arrived in February, 19 from improvised explosive devices.
The bomb that killed the six men was rivalled only by one that killed six other Canadians in April. The military says it is doing its best to mitigate the risks from improvised explosive devices -- roadside or suicide bombs.
The Nyala the men were riding in was supposed to provide the best protection possible from explosives underfoot. The lethal force of the bomb has left some soldiers shaken.
But they know the risks, Henderson said, and are able to focus on the task at hand.
"Today we mourn. Tomorrow we get back at completing our mission here that's been assigned to us by our commanders and our government."
