A Canadian soldier has died in an Edmonton hospital three weeks after he was injured by an Improvised Explosive Device while on foot patrol in Afghanistan.
The parents and brothers of Corporal Darren Fitzpatrick, 21, were at his bedside at the University of Alberta Hospital when he succumbed to undisclosed injuries on Saturday.
"Despite our grief, we are immensely proud of Darren as an incredible young man," his family said in a statement issued Monday. They otherwise declined comment.
Cpl. Fitzpatrick was critically injured west of Kandahar City on March 6 while on his first operational tour.
Fraser Logan, a public affairs officer with the military, said the decision to bring Cpl. Fitzpatrick home was made jointly by his family and medical staff.
"The family wanted him home and he was stable and able to move," Mr. Logan said yesterday.
The corporal was treated in Kandahar, then at a medical centre in Germany. On Friday, he was flown to Edmonton, Mr. Logan said.
Cpl. Fitzpatrick, a native of Prince George, B.C., who joined the Canadian Forces in December, 2006 was based at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton where the infantryman was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
He had been in Afghanistan since October.
In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Cpl. Fitzpatrick as "a Canadian hero.
"His sacrifice will not be forgotten."
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said in a statement that Canadians like the corporal are taking on dangerous jobs to "protect our freedoms and make the world a safer place.
"British Columbians stand shoulder to shoulder in support of Cpl. Fitzpatrick's family, friends and brothers-in-arms, at this very difficult time."
Prior to Cpl. Fitzpatrick, 140 Canadian soldiers and four Canadian civilians have died in Afghanistan since 2002. This was the first fatality since February.