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Mrs. Maureen Eykelenboom thanks General Rick Hillier for his support and that of the Canadian Forces in the year since her son was killed in Afghanistan.
COURTENAY, British Columbia — There is little we can do to prepare for the sudden loss of a friend or loved one. Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan have a clear understanding of the risks involved in the mission, and although they patrol and operate in a war zone, none believes that he or she will be the next casualty.
That belief helps carry the soldiers on what is often a dangerous and difficult mission. Back home, families and friends worry, particularly for those who are constantly out on patrols and operations. To date 71 families have received news that a loved one has been killed. Knowing that their loved ones were at risk going over did not make the news any easier to bear.
One of these families is that of Corporal Andrew Eykelenboom – better known to his friends as "Boomer". He was a medic serving with Task Force Afghanistan who was killed on August 11, 2006 when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy. They were patrolling near Spin Boldak, approximately 100 km southeast of Kandahar City close to the border of Pakistan.
When the news of his death reached the family it was understandably devastating. A year later, there is still mourning and grieving, but there is also celebration of the life of a man described as dynamic, caring, and professional.
Corporal Andrew Eykelenboom and an Afghan interpreter take a breather while on operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
"It made sense that he joined the Army as a medic," said his older brother Gord. "When we were kids on family adventures, he was always fooling around, but if anyone ever got hurt, he was always the one who would try to help them, or make them better. He has always had that sense of wanting to take care of people."
In Afghanistan, he was highly regarded by the infantrymen with whom he patrolled. He was a fit, outgoing 23 year-old who loved to uncover the fun in any job at hand and he blended well with the soldiers he was meant to care for.
In one of a number of firefights he was involved in, he distinguished himself by saving the life of an interpreter who had his legs blown off by a 75 mm rocket. His platoon was caught in a ferocious ambush, triggered by the destruction of the G-Wagon carrying the interpreter. With the help of Master Corporal Leblanc he applied tourniquets and prepared the interpreter so he could be moved as a battle raged around them. An hour later, at a safe distance from the ambush site, a helicopter landed in the dark and whisked the interpreter away to a field hospital. Days like this were common.
"I tried to talk him out of going over there," admitted Gord. "I was worried that something might happen, so I set him up with a good job in the oilfields. Easy job and much better pay, but he was determined to go to Afghanistan."
Taking care of the soldiers in his platoon was Cpl Eykelenboom´s primary mission but Boomer had a real affinity for the people of Afghanistan. "He really cared about the kids," added his mother Maureen. "He did whatever he could to help them."
If anyone ever got hurt, he was always the one who would try to help them, or make them better. He has always had that sense of wanting to take care of people.
Gord Eykelenboom
When Maureen Eykelenboom presented Gen Hillier with a $48,000 cheque at the end of the evening, she hinted that this would become an annual event that would raise much more money. The fund will be administered by a committee of soldiers working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team at Camp Nathan Smith in Afghanistan.
The genius of this fund is that it will be immediately accessible to soldiers on patrol who find worthwhile projects that would otherwise fall through the cracks if left to larger agencies. The money could be used to purchase shoes for kids or a generator for a water pump, most of the projects will be identified by soldiers meeting locals and wanting to help them directly.
It´s the way Boomer would have done it.
Article by Sergeant Dennis Power
Photos by Sgt Dennis Power and courtesy of the Eykelenboom family
