Fallen 'hero' an inspiration, friends recall

Friends and family of Cpl. Thomas Hamilton are remembering the fallen soldieras a "hero" and proud soldier.

Hamilton died Saturday in southern Afghanistan when a roadside bomb went off. The explosion also killed fellow Nova Scotian Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin, from Mount Uniacke, and Pte. Justin Peter Jones of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Hamilton, 26, a father of a five-year-old girl, grew up in the small Nova Scotia community of Upper Musquodoboit, the youngest of three brothers.

Esther Higgins, his grandmother, told CBC News that everyone in the family is proud of him.

She said Hamilton was called up to do two tours of duty in Afghanistan, but his last tour was voluntary. She said he was even looking forward to a fourth tour, if the opportunity came up.

Like his fallen comrades, Hamilton was based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

At Providence Christian Church in Riverview, N.B., where Hamilton worshipped, friend Brad MacInnis described Hamilton as an inspiration.

"Tom's always gonna be a guy that I'm gonna look up to because as far as I'm concerned he's one of Canada's finest," MacInnis said Sunday.

"He's a hero to me. I want to go back to the RCMP depot and finish what I started. And one of the reasons I want to do that is to serve my country, and that's what he did."

Hamilton, Curwin and Jones were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Kandahar City.

Their bodies are being transported back to Canada and are expected to arrive at CFB Trenton in Ontario on Tuesday.

A memorial service at CFB Gagetown for the three fallen soldiers will be held in the New Year.