Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier, 43, of the Royal 22nd Regiment Van Doos, was killed on Wednesday by a roadside bomb attack while returning from a combat mission in Afghanistan.  He was travelling in a LAV-III in the Zhari district about 50 kilometres west of Kandahar city as part of the mission codenamed Operation Eagle Eye. 

As dawn arrived at Kandahar Airfield Friday, hundreds of soldiers from several nations attended a brief but solemn service honouring the Master Warrant Officer and another Canadian soldier who died Wednesday.  Pallbearers carried the flag-draped caskets.

During Friday's ceremony, which began at 5:30 a.m. local time and lasted about half an hour, MWO Mercier was remembered for his commitment to the Afghan mission, and his belief he could improve the lives of Afghan civilians.