Soldier believed deeply in Afghan mission: father

Flags outside Newfoundland and Labrador's legislature flew at half-mast Thursday, in honour of the death of a corporal killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane, who was born in the small Notre Dame Bay community of Little Bay, was one of three soldiers killed in an explosion southwest of Kandahar on Wednesday.

Bouzane's family left for Ontario when he was three, but he has many relatives in Newfoundland and Labrador, and his parents relocated to the southern Newfoundland town of St. Alban's.

"He believed in what he was doing," said his father, Frederick Bouzane. "He tried to sign up for another tour, another six months, but they said no.… He didn't even want to come out."

Bouzane's tour of duty was scheduled to end in August.

Bouzane, 26, had requested to be buried in Little Bay, a small community near Springdale, where he still has family.

Elizabeth Dobbin, an aunt, said she and her neighbours did not know Bouzane well, as he left at a young age and returned on summer vacations.

Nonetheless, she said the news of his death struck the community of about 120 residents hard.

"When the chips are down, everybody's there for each other… and this is one of the times," Dobbin said.

Premier Danny Williams, while announcing flags at Confederation Building would be lowered to half-mast, paid tribute to Bouzane and his colleagues, Sgt. Christos Karigiannis and Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe.

"Words cannot express the pride we feel for heroes like Cpl. Bouzane," Williams said in a statement.

"His sacrifice humbles us all and will never be forgotten."

Toronto City Hall also flew its flag at half-mast on Thursday to honour Bouzane, who grew up in Scarborough.