The bodies of two Canadian soldiers were loaded on a plane Tuesday at Kandahar Airfield during a sombre ramp ceremony.
Hundreds of soldiers stood solemnly as their comrades' remains were loaded aboard a military transport plane, for the journey home.
The soldiers died when their Griffon helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday. They were identified as Master Cpl. Pat Audet, 38, and Cpl. Martin Joannette, 25. Both were based in Valcartier, Que.
A British soldier was also killed in the crash, while three other Canadian troops were injured.
"It's painful to realize how precious and fragile human life is," Padre Martine Belanger said during the ceremony.
"We are dismayed; we cry for our loss. With courage, we say goodbye."
Audet served with the 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron. He is survived by his wife Katherine, and his parents.
"Master Cpl. Audet -- Pat to his friends and family -- was a man with a contagious sense of humour, and had a great way with people," Belanger said.
"A big man with an imposing stature, he wouldn't have hurt a fly."
Joannette served with the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment. He is survived by his wife, Marie-Eve.
"Cpl. Joannette was a guy with a heart of gold," Belanger said.
"He had an immense generosity and an exceptional team spirit; he had an ability to raise the morale of his comrades."
Defence Minister Peter MacKay issued a statement Tuesday in which he paid tribute to the two soldiers and offered his condolences to their families.
"These courageous servicemen gave their lives to secure a brighter future for Afghan families and protect the values of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law," MacKay said. "Canada's collaboration and determination to contribute to this UN-sanctioned, NATO-led mission will not waiver."
The two soldiers' commanding officer, Lt. Col. Marc Bigaouette, said Canadians should be proud of them.
"It is with sadness today that we all get together and we bring them their last flight -- that's going to be their flight home," Bigaouette said.
"They can leave Afghanistan with their head up."
Crash under investigation
While a Taliban spokesperson claimed Tuesday that insurgents had shot down the helicopter, Canadian military officials disputed this, saying the soldiers' deaths were not the result of enemy fire.
Colin Perkel, a reporter with the Canadian Press, said enemy action has been ruled out, leaving two main possible causes for the crash that caused their deaths.
"Canadian military authorities are telling us that this was not the result of enemy fire or enemy activity, so that basically leaves open the possibility that it was either human error or mechanical failure -- at this point we don't know," Perkel told CTV's Canada AM from Kandahar.
Military officials say the helicopter crashed at a U.S. forward operating base northeast of Kandahar where the bulk of Canadian troops are based.
"What we know is this crash happened yesterday at the forward operating base near Zabul, that's about 80 kilometres northeast of Kandahar. It's an American base, and the chopper was apparently taking off when it crashed," Perkel said.
A flight-safety investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash, said Canadian commander Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance.
Griffon helicopters are used mainly to transport troops, and are part of the Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan. They have been used by the Canadian military since the start of this year.
The majority of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan have died from improvised explosive devices, buried along Kandahar's dangerous roads. Because of that, helicopters are considered a much safer method of transportation.
"With the arrival of the Griffon and Chinook helicopters in our area of operations, (Audet and Joannette) played a valuable role in reducing exposures to IEDs, and by providing aviation support to combat operations," said Vance.
In total, 124 Canadians have now died since the Afghanistan mission began in 2001. On Saturday, a ramp ceremony was held for Cpl. Nick Bulger, who the day before was killed by an IED.
On Monday, soldiers gathered in tribute to Master Cpl. Charles-Philippe Michaud, who died in Quebec City on Saturday of injuries he sustained last month when he stepped on a land mine.
