[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

RIP, Capt. Snyder...

June 8, 2008
Canadian soldier dies after falling into Afghan well on night patrol
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A Canadian soldier died after falling into a well during a night-time patrol Saturday west of Kandahar.

Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder, of Penticton, B.C., was a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

He was on his second tour of Afghanistan and his third overseas deployment.

"Jon was serving as a mentor and role model to members of the Afghan National Army, and his recent leadership in the field likely saved both Canadian and Afghan lives," Brig,-Gen. Denis Thompson, the commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said in a prepared statement at nearby Kandahar Airfield.

"We will not forget his sacrifice as we continue our mission to bring peace and stability to the citizens of Afghanistan."

Snyder, who was helping mentor Afghan soldiers, was on foot patrol in a field in Zhari district when he tumbled into an open well that the Afghans call a 'kariz.'

Those kinds of wells dot the countryside. They are often unmarked and connect to a series of underground irrigation ditches used to soothe the parched landscape in river valleys.

Thompson estimates the well Snyder was trapped in may have been as much as 20 metres deep.

The rest of his patrol tried desperately to extract him as they radioed for help.

"Medical, engineering and search and rescue assets were rushed to the scene, and Jon was lifted from the well," said Thompson, who spoke with members of Snyder's platoon on Sunday.

Once out of the well, Snyder was rushed to the NATO military hospital at Kandahar Airfield where he was pronounced dead.

For reasons of operational security, the army refused to say where in Zhari district the joint patrol was taking place.

Snyder is the 85th Canadian soldier to die in the war-torn country, along with one diplomat, since the Afghan war started.

The last soldier to die was Capt. Richard (Steve) Leary who died of wounds following an ambush in the restive Panjwaii district on June 3.

Snyder was not married, but leaves behind a fiancee and his parents.