CFB TRENTON, ONT. - A plane carrying the remains of three Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan touched down at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario on Saturday afternoon where it was met by family, dignitaries and a crowd of about 200 supporters.
Sapper Stephan Stock, Cpl. Dustin Wasden and Sgt. Shawn Eades died when a roadside bomb exploded outside their armoured vehicle.
Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk were at CFB Trenton to pay their respects.
Also on hand, was a crowd of spectators who gathered at the fence surrounding the tarmac.
Colin Stillwell, a resident of Trenton, who served in the Canadian army from 1958 to 1988, said: "When you lose one, it's like we lost part of our family. It's (the military) a large extended family."
Stillwell was wearing his uniform and medals for the occasion.
Marlene Livingston of Richmond Hill, Ont., said: "We don't know what else to do. We'd like to reach out and hug them but we can't."
"This is our way of telling them that we love them and appreciate everything that they've done for us and the sacrifice that's been made for us here in Canada."
Also among the spectators were 80 members of the Canadian Army Veterans Motorcycle Unit.
All three fallen soldiers were with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton.
Their deaths bring to 93 the number of Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.
