CFB TRENTON, Ont. - Bitterly cold weather did little to deter grieving family members and mourners who braved a brutal wind chill Wednesday to pay their respects and receive the remains of Gunner Jonathan Dion, the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.
A trumpeter, flanked by a military honour guard, played "Amazing Grace'' as a party of pallbearers delivered the 27-year-old Quebec soldier's flag-draped casket from a military aircraft into the back of a waiting hearse.
Family members, including Dion's parents, wiped away tears and placed single red roses atop the casket during the brief ceremony at this eastern Ontario military airfield.
A cold-weather contingency plan was in place to allow family members to watch the proceedings from the open doors of a nearby hangar, but they opted instead to spend the ceremony standing on the windswept tarmac.
Outside the base, a man hoisted Quebec's Fleur-de-lis flag high as the funeral procession began its customary journey to Toronto for a post-mortem examination, travelling along a stretch of Highway 401 christened the Highway of Heroes.
Others who took up position along the fence line to honour Dion said a wind chill of -20 C wasn't enough to keep them away.
"Since (the) mission beginning . . . we've been here for every single unit departure and return, and unfortunately for the return, the repatriation of the dead,'' said Paul Cane of the group Canadian Army Veteran.
"We've been here since Day 1 and we'll be here as long as the mission lasts . . . it's the right thing to do.''
About three dozen people watched the ceremony from outside the base, many waving Canadian flags.
"I have a son that's in the army,'' said Margaret, who declined to give her last name. "He's gone over there twice so I'm here to support (the troops).''
Dion's family was joined on the tarmac by several dignitaries, including Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier.
One family member could be seen helping a woman next to him wipe away her tears.
Dion, based in Valcartier, Que., was killed Sunday when his T-LAV struck a roadside bomb about 20 kilometres west of Kandahar City. Four other soldiers suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Dion, with 5e regiment d'artillerie legere du Canada, was the 74th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002. It was the first overseas operation for Dion, who was due to return to Canada in March.
Dion's friends and some family members have been posting remembrances to him on Facebook.
While childhood friend Benoit Fournier said Dion's funeral would be held Jan. 12 at Eglise Jean XXIII in Gatineau, Que., a release provided by the military said funeral plans had not yet been set.
In a statement Monday, family members said Dion loved being a soldier and served his country "with honour and pride alongside his brothers in arms in Afghanistan.''
Family members, who made no public remarks Wednesday, were escorted into a black limousine to accompany Dion's body to Toronto.
