Trooper Larry Rudd, 26, has been killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan
More than a decade before the Afghan war that took his life, Larry John Zuidema Rudd would sit at the back of his Grade 8 class, his desk full of dog treats.
The 26-year-old Brantford, Ont., native was killed when an improvised explosive device went off underneath him on Monday. He was on patrol near the village of Salavat in Afghanistan's Panjwai district, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. He was delivering supplies to troops based near the village, and was just a couple of weeks into his seven-month tour of Afghanistan.
Trooper Rudd was remembered by close friends and colleagues as a "giant angel" who took the underdog's side and dreamed of being a policeman.
Becky Salvatore first met Trooper Rudd in Grade 1 at Brantford's Graham Bell Elementary and then went to Brantford Collegiate Institute with him. Unusually tall even in Grade 1, Mr. Rudd was a perennial joker.
"He always made everybody laugh. He was a great guy," Ms. Salvatore said. "If you were having a bad day or whatever, he would always make you smile."
Ms. Salvatore said that in Grade 8, Trooper Rudd "would always have candy in his desk. He even used to bring dog treats and he'd eat them and we thought that was kind of weird."
"He was trying to get us to try 'em, but we wouldn't," she said.
Family gathered on Monday evening at the home of Trooper Rudd's mother, Helen Zuidema. Bill Zuidema said his sister and other family members were still reeling from getting the news earlier that day, and couldn't talk.
"It's a very hard time right now," he said. "Tomorrow or the next day would be better. Everything's hard here."
Colonel Simon Hetherington, deputy commander of Task Force Kandahar, said in a statement to media at Kandahar Air Field on Monday that Trooper Rudd always put family and friends ahead of himself.
"He was the type of man that soldiers of all ranks looked to for friendship," he said.
"Larry was a go-to soldier who always put the needs of his family, his friends and his fellow soldiers before those of his own … and despite his intimidating size, he was considered the gentle giant within his squadron."
Trooper Rudd worked as a bouncer for several years at Brando's, a bar on Brantford's Market Street where he earned a reputation as someone who would rush to the aid of strangers.
"He was always there for the underdog - always," said a server at the bar, who declined to give her name. "He was a doorman here, and if there was any trouble anywhere, even nothing to do with the bar … he would be there to help."
While the CFB Petawawa-based soldier was in training, the server said, he would come by Brando's to help out. His mother threw him a party at Brando's before he left for Afghanistan.
Siobhan Michele Kelly, who worked with Trooper Rudd at Brantford's charity casino from 2002-04, said the porter with the sarcastic sense if humour was "stoked" about enlisting two years ago.
"He made my job fun every day, and was a real gentleman," she told the Globe and Mail. "He was one of the most amazing and genuine people I have ever met."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor-General Michaëlle Jean and Defence Minister Peter Mackay all issued statements extending their condolences.
"We are deeply saddened by your loss. Please be reassured by knowing that the country stands behind you in these most trying times," Mr. Harper said.
"The commitment and sacrifice demonstrated by the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces is a great source of pride to all Canadians. We are eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by Trooper Rudd. He will not be forgotten."
Trooper Rudd is the 146th Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan. Two civilians - Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang and diplomat Glyn Berry have also been killed.
The IED blast that killed Trooper Rudd around 12:30 p.m. local time came after a week of violence marking the beginning of the fighting season in Afghanistan.
Also on Monday, a spokesman for the Afghan intelligence service said seven people have been arrested over the past week in connection with the suicide car-bombing in Kabul that killed 18 people on May 18 - including Canadian Col. Geoff Parker.
And this past weekend, a brazen attack on the heavily fortified Kandahar Airfield, where Canada's Afghan military mission is based, underscored just how vulnerable even the ISAF's Kandahar stronghold is.