A 23-year-old Canadian soldier was remembered Sunday as a globe-trotting, sporty and car-loving man with an infectious sense of humour and a fearless love for life.
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soldier → remember → life
A photo of Pte. Aidan Goulding sat in front of the hundreds of military personnel, family and friends who gathered at an armoury on a stormy day in Vancouver for his funeral.
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who → sit → funeral
Goulding was one of the four soldiers killed last month after a grass fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta overtook troops during a training exercise.
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fire → kill → exercise
Thirty-nine others were injured, and many remain in hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary.
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many → injure → Edmonton
Goulding’s funeral started with soldiers carrying his flag-draped casket into the armoury, with the sound of a bagpipe cascading, and some words from a rabbi.
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soldiers → start → rabbi
Sonia Monk, Goulding’s mother, then described his upbringing in North Vancouver with his brother, Wylder, who was also his best friend.
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who → describe → brother
“They had each other’s backs,” she said.
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she → have → backs
“Their relationship touched my heart deeply, and I was content in knowing that they would always be close.”
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they → touch → heart
Growing up, he showed his competitive and curious side.
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he → grow → side
His family said in a statement he played many sports, including soccer and rugby, and developed a love for cars at a young age.
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he → say → age
He spent many hours buying used cars, fixing them late into the night under the glow of a lamp on his family’s driveway and then reselling them.
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He → spend → them
The first car he fine-tuned was a used Chrysler 300C.
The modification: make it louder.
“He loved understanding how things worked and took great pride in making them his own,” his family said.
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family → tune → pride
Monk said her son asked to wear a white suit on his first day of Grade 4.
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son → say → Grade
When he turned 21, he asked for a gold suit.
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he → turn → suit
“He was unapologetically himself, and I admired that,” his mom said.
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mom → admire → that
After he joined the Canadian Armed Forces, Goulding felt like he found a place where he belonged.
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he → join → place
“It gave him a sense of purpose, a family and a place he truly felt at home,” Monk said.
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Monk → give → home
The family has also described Goulding as a globetrotter.
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family → describe → globetrotter
In his short life, he explored many parts of the world, including Mexico, Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Malta, the Netherlands, England and Spain.
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he → explore → Mexico
Reagan Goulding, the soldier’s aunt, said during the funeral that he often made those around him laugh.
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those → say → him
She said it’s been hard knowing that he died at a young age.
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he → say → age
“This is perhaps one of the hardest parts of losing someone so young,” she said.
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she → lose → someone
“It’s not just the memories we have lost, but the opportunity to make a relationship we still had time to build.”
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we → ’ → time
She also remembered the other soldiers killed in the fire alongside Goulding.
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She → remember → Goulding
They were: Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, B.C.; Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton; and Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Sask.
“Aidan and his fellow soldiers will not be forgotten,” Reagan said.
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Reagan → forget → Albert
The Aporia
