QUEBEC - Soldiers stood at attention and military drums rolled as the casket of Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier was carried into a Quebec City church on Friday.
Mercier, 43, of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment and Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, 34, of the 5th Field Ambulance, died Aug. 22 when their light-armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
A private funeral was held earlier Friday in the Quebec City area for Duchesne.
Mercier's family, including his wife Lucie and his three children Myriame, 17, Simon, 15, and Maude, 9, as well as hundreds of friends, gathered at the Saint-Gerard-Majella Church in suburban Quebec City to say their last goodbyes.
"You gave us the best set of values that we could ever have hoped for," said Myriame, the eldest of Mercier's three children.
"We thank you for everything you gave to us and everything you did for us. And for everything you accomplished in your life. Bravo papa. We love you. You are our hero forever."
Master Warrant Officer Stephane Bergeron paid tribute to Mercier as a superior human being and friend.
"He was much more than just a co-worker," Bergeron said, his voice breaking as the tears began to flow. "He was the best dad ever, a well intentioned husband, a best friend, one of the guys ... we will miss you, we will miss you. We will never forget you."
Mercier had spent more than 20 years in the military and had been deployed in the past to the former Yugoslavia on two occasions as well as on missions in Haiti and Afghanistan.
Another one of Mercier's colleagues remembered him as a man who always there when you needed him.
"When we talk about a friend who is always there when you need them, Mario was always there ... he took the time. You always felt important around him," said Warrant Officer Justin Morneau.
Visibly moved by the funeral was Heritage Minister Josee Verner, who attended the funeral along with Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard and Lt.-Gov. Pierre Duchesne.
Pte. Simon Longtin was the first Van Doo to die in Afghanistan when he was killed by a roadside bomb on Aug. 19.
Longtin's funeral was held on Monday in the Montreal area.
All three were based at CFB Valcartier, near Quebec City, and were part of the 2,500 Canadian troops who are taking part in Operation Athena, a mission to bring security and assist in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
