The second soldier who died in a improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Afghanistan has been identified. Sapper Matthieu Allard was 21 when he and 23-year-old Corporal. Christian Bobbitt were killed on Saturday.
Both young men were members of the 5th Combat Engineers Regiment, charged with defusing explosive devices and booby traps. They arrived on March, 2009.
Sapper Allard's identity was withheld through the weekend so his father, René, who was working in Mexico, could be notified and return home.
Sapper Allard was a shy young man, who nonetheless always volunteered to serve, Task Force Kandahar Commander, Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, said.
The commander said the soldier was very proud of his military team and took the worst situations in stride, raising his colleagues' spirits in the process.
Major Yannick Pépin, Commander of the 51st Field Engineer Squadron, described Sapper Allard as a team leader – someone who seemed never to stop working. Sapper Allard and Cpl. Bobbitt were inseparable, he said.
Sapper Allard has two younger brothers.
His aunt, Therèse Allard, said her family has a long history of military service, including in the two world wars.
The two soldiers are the 127th and 128th Canadian casualties in Afghanistan since 2002.
They were riding in a military convoy when they hit an IED.
The first IED did not kill or injure anyone. When the men stepped out of their vehicles after the blast to inspect for damage and further threats, a second explosive was detonated, killing them and seriously wounding a third soldier.
The two men are expected to travel through Cramahe Township at about 3 p.m. on August 4, following a 2 p.m. repatriation ceremony in Trenton.
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