Soldier said good night to son just before he died
Published Friday October 30th, 2009
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Before setting off on an early-morning patrol through some of the most dangerous territory in Afghanistan, Lt. Justin Boyes phoned his three year- old son and wished him good night several time zones away.
The 26-year-old father was killed by an IED blast just hours later.
His flag-draped coffin was loaded onto a military transport plane Thursday to begin the long journey back to Canada.
More than 2,500 soldiers from Canada and several NATO allies gathered on the Kandahar Airfield tarmac in the late-afternoon sun to pay their respects.
Maj. Scott Leblanc, commander of Boyes’ police-mentoring unit, became emotional while describing the loss of one his most-trusted officers.
“I think his most striking qualities was that he was very calm — we rarely heard him complain — very professional, mature,” Leblanc told reporters after the ceremony.
“I chose him to be in a certain position as we arrived in Afghanistan based on his professional qualities and my definite confidence in his abilities.”
The two shared a Thanksgiving dinner shortly before coming to Afghanistan. During the meal, they broached the subjects on every soldier’s mind.
“We talked about the mission, family, life and death,” Leblanc said.
“His view was ‘When it’s your time, it’s your time.’ ” Boyes was leading a routine patrol through Panjwaii district, southwest of Kandahar city, on Wednesday when the improvised explosive device went off.
The blast also wounded two other Canadian soldiers, who were treated at Kandahar Airfield’s military hospital. They are listed in good condition.
The Canadian Forces have been wrestling with the Taliban for control of Panjwaii for months. Four Canadians were killed there in September.
The Canadians hope to establish so-called ‘model villages’ in the area in an effort to replicate the success they’ve had with similar projects in Dand district, just east of Panjwaii.
Key to the strategy of retaking the district is increasing the capacity of the Afghan National Police, whom Boyes was mentoring when he was killed.
“His keen, calm, and motivated nature gained the respect of many,” Maj. Yvonne Mills, a chaplain, said in her eulogy.
“A true Prairie boy at heart, he enjoyed sitting around the backyard with friends and family, for they all played an important role in his life.”
Boyes was promoted to lieutenant upon joining the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry after his first tour in Afghanistan, but he maintained his close friends from within the ranks, Mills said.
Born in Saskatoon, Boyes was remembered by many as a family man.
He leaves behind his wife, Alanna, his parents Angela and David, a sister, a brother also in the armed forces, as well as his son, James.
It was Mills who spoke about the phone call Boyes made to his young son.
In the Saskatchewan legislature, Premier Brad Wall paid tribute to Boyes.
The premier noted that Boyes began his military career as a reservist and called reservists part of an “unbroken line of honour and sacrifice” that stretches back to the time of those who served in the First World War.
The PPCLI are in the process of replacing the Van Doos in the current troop rotation. The death of Boyes is the first among the newly arrived troops, coming just 10 days after being deployed in Afghanistan.
Members of his unit are in mourning.
“I told them just because you cry it doesn’t mean you’re weak,” said Leblanc. “You can be a man and still cry.”
Boyes is the 132nd Canadian soldier to die on the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.
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