Canada in Afghanistan

[John McGillivray]

Canadian soldier killed after stepping on IED
CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Sat. Jan. 16 2010 4:36 PM ET
A Canadian soldier, Sgt. John Faught, 44, has died in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. He was the first Canadian casualty in the war torn country this year.
Faught was killed after stepping on an improvised explosive device in the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province while on a joint foot patrol.
He was a member of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based out of Edmonton.
Faught was described as a "father figure" among the soldier, who was affectionally known as "Toast" because he was "hard and crusty."
"He could always be counted on to tell it like it is when asked for his opinion," Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard said late Saturday.
"He was a very conscientious and thorough section commander who always put the needs of his soldiers above his own."
Faught was from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The explosion occurred at about 2 p.m. local time on what was described as a routine foot patrol, about 15 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City.
No one else was hurt in the incident.
There have been 139 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, and two Canadian civilians.
The death was the first since Dec. 30, when four Canadian soldiers, Sgt. George Miok, Sgt. Kirk Taylor, Cpl. Zachery McCormack and Pte. Garrett Chidley -- along with Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang were killed when their armoured vehicle was struck by a massive roadside bomb.
With files from The Canadian Press

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