Soldiers gathered Friday for a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield - to pay tribute to the three Canadians killed in Afghanistan this week.
It was the third ramp ceremony in less than two weeks -- five Canadian soldiers have died since August 9.
Hundreds of soldiers lined the tarmac to bid farewell to Sgt. Shawn Eades, Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden and Sapper Stephan John Stock.
The flag-draped caskets of the three men were then carried onto a transport plane for the beginning of the journey home.
The three soldiers were combat engineers with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, and were attached to the Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.
Soldiers gathered outside the headquarters of 1 Combat Engineers at Edmonton Garrison on Friday to remember their fallen comrades.
"You never really expect it to be someone who you are close to, but after a few minutes once it started sinking in, I was very proud that he did that," Sapper Johnathan Allison, a friend of Stock , told reporters in Edmonton. "It's always difficult when someone, a friend, dies."
"However, there is a time for mourning and a time and a place for standing up and carrying on."
The three men were killed Wednesday by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan's Zhari district. A fourth soldier was seriously injured by the IED.
Soldiers hailed
Comrades of the fallen soldiers spoke out on Friday to share a few words about their friends.
Eades. 33, was remembered as a hard-working soldier who was not afraid to lead.
"He was an extremely confident leader, a mentor, excellent soldier," said Master Cpl. Richard Fiessel. "We miss him, everybody misses him."
Cpl. Dustin Wasden, or Wozzy as he was affectionately known by his comrades, made his friends proud, said Cpl. Sean MacCreedy.
"He is just a good guy. He's a farm boy from Saskatchewan," MacCreedy said. ""I was sad, but proud at the same time because he loved what he did. He was a good soldier and I'm proud of him."
Wasden's family released a statement Friday and reminisced about how excited he was to work in Afghanistan.
"Like a child awaiting Christmas, he even initiated a countdown as he got closer to going overseas," the statement said.
Wasden's loved ones said he wanted to make Afghanistan a better place for its children and loved giving out shoes and other gifts to the children there.
Soldiers recalled Wasden always saying, "Are we not doing it for the kids?"
Allison said everyone called Stephan Stock simply "Stock" and that he was known for being a "solid soldier."
"I always admired Stock, he was a very competent soldier, he was the kind of guy and the same rank level that I could look to for reassurance," he said.
Another roadside bomb
The massive roadside bomb exploded while the soldiers were travelling to a site to do reconnaissance for a future mission.
"These folks were doing a solid job of helping protect the roads for the soldiers that were following," Col. Andre Corbould of 1 Canadian Mechanized Bridgade told reporters in Edmonton Friday.
The wounded soldier is in stable condition, Corbould said. The victim's name will not be released, he said.
In Edmonton, the commanding officer of the three Canadian soldiers said their deaths have brought both sorrow and pride to the military family.
"We certainly feel sorrow for the loss of our comrades and for the difficult times the family have to go through," Corbould said. "But we take pride in the job that these soldiers did."
Corbould vowed to continue with the mission, saying the men have made a difference in the unstable region.
He also hailed the support Canadians have shown for their troops.
"Every military family suffers the loss of a Canadian soldier," he said. "The support has been tremendous from Canadians. We see yellow ribbons and support from across the country."
Canada needs help: expert
Meanwhile, military analyst Col. (ret'd) Michel Drapeau said Friday that Canada needs more help from the international community.
He said Canada cannot exert itself anymore than it already has in the region.
"Should NATO do more? Absolutely. Is it doing enough now? No it's not," said Drapeau.
He said the Taliban are as determined now as they've ever been in the past.
"Everyday we should be putting pressure on our NATO allies, either bilaterally or multilaterally, to make sure we're are all pulling our share," he said.
The deaths bring the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission to 93.
Prior to Wednesday's incident, NATO forces had already suffered the loss of 10 French soldiers and three Polish soldiers this week -- killed in fighting with militants.
Despite the casualties, Brig-Gen. Denis Thompson says the Taliban cannot break the resolve of the military because the "soldiers believe in this mission."
With a report from CTV's Janet Dirks and files from The Canadian Press
