Recipient of Sacrifice Medal (posthumous)
Corporal and a member of the medical unit, 1 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Aged 23. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Survived by his parents Hans and Maureen, his brothers Steven (Shannon) and Gordon (Fiona), his two nephews and his aunts and uncles.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in a vehicle attack while travelling with a NATO resupply convoy near the town of Spin Boldak, approximately 100 km southeast of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
Cpl Eykelenboom is the first Canadian military medic killed in action since the Korean War. His six-month tour was almost over when he died and he looked forward to his return in less than a month to relax with family and meet his new baby nephew.
His family allowed the release of the last email and photo he sent to his parents:
"Hi Mom and Dad:
Well, I finally got the picture you have been waiting for. About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the Unit Medical Station while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her older sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour.
Love Andrew"
Boomer's Legacy, a registered charitable fund set up by his family, gives every cent of its donated money to the Assistance to Afghanistan Trust Fund. It in turn puts cash quickly and with a minimum of red tape into the hands of Canadian soldiers who see a need for aid to local Afghan women and children. It has raised $128,000 as of July 2008. www.boomerslegacy.ca
*Sincere thanks to J.Sullivan for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to brainmd and I. Cartwright for the grave photos.∼My name is Maureen Eykelenboom, and the day my son Andrew died in Afghanistan is the day my life changed forever.
For me, Remembrance Day is every day.
My youngest of three sons, Andrew decided to join the military in June 2001 after he graduated from Grade 12. He had wanted to be a firefighter but was too young to be accepted into firefighting school. So he signed up with the Canadian Forces and joined as a medic, all fitting into his plan of being a fire fighter/paramedic in the future.
Three months later, on Sept. 11, I remember calling him and asking him to change his mind because I knew that by joining the military now it would mean that he would be going to war sooner or later.
He was leaving for basic training on Oct. 1 and responded by telling me, "Well, mom, if that's the case I'm going to be needed more than ever — end of story."
In the fall of 2005, Andrew told my husband and I that he was on a deployment to go to Afghanistan in early 2006. It was what he wanted to do and there was no turning back. He was trained as a medic — he was the youngest private, the only private in that advanced level of training, and he insisted that he be deployed because he wanted to do what he had been taught to do.
He was thrilled to go on that tour, he was going to be able to put into practice what he had learned. He did not realize just how much of his medical skills he would need in order to save many lives. When thanked he would just shrug and say "that's my job," not unlike any of our fine medics would respond.
In February 2006, he left for Afghanistan for a seven-month tour.
On Aug. 9, Andrew's infantry unit Bravo had completed its tour of duty and Andrew had handed in all of his medical gear on the 10th. He was packing to come home to Canada. But the next day, on Aug. 11, the medical unit was short two medics so Andrew volunteered to go back out.
On the return to camp, on his last mission, he was killed (we believe) by a 17-year-old suicide bomber.
The day of Andrew's repatriation in Trenton, Ont., was such a surreal time. It's beyond anyone's comprehension unless you've walked it. You're driving down that highway and there are people lined up on each side of the highway paying tribute to our son — and you think, they really do care.
At one point, our oldest son said, "Hey buddy, this is a ride for you" — it was like Andrew was with us. I thank Canada for remembering.
My son always wanted to help people and that's why he became a medic in the 1st Field Ambulance Unit (Edmonton). Andrew was the 26th Canadian to die in Afghanistan and the first Canadian medic to be killed in combat since the Korean War.
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, nicknamed, "Boomer" by his army buddies, left this world a better place. One of the things Andrew wrote home about was a small thing he did that put a smile on a child's face. He said it was the most important thing about this tour.
Because he volunteered to go on that last fatal mission, it made me feel like he was saying, "I volunteered to do my part, now mom it's your turn to do yours." I knew the day after he was killed that I would start a foundation called "Boomer's Legacy."
This fund was established so that soldiers on patrol could access funds to spend on projects in Afghanistan that might otherwise "fall through the cracks" — such as shoes for kids, or a generator for a water pump, a herd of sheep, medical operations, or blankets and caps.
I know that this is what my son would have wanted. Helping our soldiers help others is our mission and it's what we will always do, no matter where they are deployed.
When I think of Remembrance Day, I remember that we have the freedom we have in Canada because of the many men and women who wear a uniform, lace up their boots and give their all, bottom line — for us.
For all who served, all who perished in the field of battle or in peacekeeping missions. I remember — every day.
Corporal and a member of the medical unit, 1 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Aged 23. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Survived by his parents Hans and Maureen, his brothers Steven (Shannon) and Gordon (Fiona), his two nephews and his aunts and uncles.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in a vehicle attack while travelling with a NATO resupply convoy near the town of Spin Boldak, approximately 100 km southeast of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
Cpl Eykelenboom is the first Canadian military medic killed in action since the Korean War. His six-month tour was almost over when he died and he looked forward to his return in less than a month to relax with family and meet his new baby nephew.
His family allowed the release of the last email and photo he sent to his parents:
"Hi Mom and Dad:
Well, I finally got the picture you have been waiting for. About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the Unit Medical Station while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her older sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour.
Love Andrew"
Boomer's Legacy, a registered charitable fund set up by his family, gives every cent of its donated money to the Assistance to Afghanistan Trust Fund. It in turn puts cash quickly and with a minimum of red tape into the hands of Canadian soldiers who see a need for aid to local Afghan women and children. It has raised $128,000 as of July 2008. www.boomerslegacy.ca
*Sincere thanks to J.Sullivan for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to brainmd and I. Cartwright for the grave photos.∼My name is Maureen Eykelenboom, and the day my son Andrew died in Afghanistan is the day my life changed forever.
For me, Remembrance Day is every day.
My youngest of three sons, Andrew decided to join the military in June 2001 after he graduated from Grade 12. He had wanted to be a firefighter but was too young to be accepted into firefighting school. So he signed up with the Canadian Forces and joined as a medic, all fitting into his plan of being a fire fighter/paramedic in the future.
Three months later, on Sept. 11, I remember calling him and asking him to change his mind because I knew that by joining the military now it would mean that he would be going to war sooner or later.
He was leaving for basic training on Oct. 1 and responded by telling me, "Well, mom, if that's the case I'm going to be needed more than ever — end of story."
In the fall of 2005, Andrew told my husband and I that he was on a deployment to go to Afghanistan in early 2006. It was what he wanted to do and there was no turning back. He was trained as a medic — he was the youngest private, the only private in that advanced level of training, and he insisted that he be deployed because he wanted to do what he had been taught to do.
He was thrilled to go on that tour, he was going to be able to put into practice what he had learned. He did not realize just how much of his medical skills he would need in order to save many lives. When thanked he would just shrug and say "that's my job," not unlike any of our fine medics would respond.
In February 2006, he left for Afghanistan for a seven-month tour.
On Aug. 9, Andrew's infantry unit Bravo had completed its tour of duty and Andrew had handed in all of his medical gear on the 10th. He was packing to come home to Canada. But the next day, on Aug. 11, the medical unit was short two medics so Andrew volunteered to go back out.
On the return to camp, on his last mission, he was killed (we believe) by a 17-year-old suicide bomber.
The day of Andrew's repatriation in Trenton, Ont., was such a surreal time. It's beyond anyone's comprehension unless you've walked it. You're driving down that highway and there are people lined up on each side of the highway paying tribute to our son — and you think, they really do care.
At one point, our oldest son said, "Hey buddy, this is a ride for you" — it was like Andrew was with us. I thank Canada for remembering.
My son always wanted to help people and that's why he became a medic in the 1st Field Ambulance Unit (Edmonton). Andrew was the 26th Canadian to die in Afghanistan and the first Canadian medic to be killed in combat since the Korean War.
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, nicknamed, "Boomer" by his army buddies, left this world a better place. One of the things Andrew wrote home about was a small thing he did that put a smile on a child's face. He said it was the most important thing about this tour.
Because he volunteered to go on that last fatal mission, it made me feel like he was saying, "I volunteered to do my part, now mom it's your turn to do yours." I knew the day after he was killed that I would start a foundation called "Boomer's Legacy."
This fund was established so that soldiers on patrol could access funds to spend on projects in Afghanistan that might otherwise "fall through the cracks" — such as shoes for kids, or a generator for a water pump, a herd of sheep, medical operations, or blankets and caps.
I know that this is what my son would have wanted. Helping our soldiers help others is our mission and it's what we will always do, no matter where they are deployed.
When I think of Remembrance Day, I remember that we have the freedom we have in Canada because of the many men and women who wear a uniform, lace up their boots and give their all, bottom line — for us.
For all who served, all who perished in the field of battle or in peacekeeping missions. I remember — every day.
Recipient of Sacrifice Medal (posthumous)
Corporal and a member of the medical unit, 1 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Aged 23. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Survived by his parents Hans and Maureen, his brothers Steven (Shannon) and Gordon (Fiona), his two nephews and his aunts and uncles.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in a vehicle attack while travelling with a NATO resupply convoy near the town of Spin Boldak, approximately 100 km southeast of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
Cpl Eykelenboom is the first Canadian military medic killed in action since the Korean War. His six-month tour was almost over when he died and he looked forward to his return in less than a month to relax with family and meet his new baby nephew.
His family allowed the release of the last email and photo he sent to his parents:
"Hi Mom and Dad:
Well, I finally got the picture you have been waiting for. About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the Unit Medical Station while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her older sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour.
Love Andrew"
Boomer's Legacy, a registered charitable fund set up by his family, gives every cent of its donated money to the Assistance to Afghanistan Trust Fund. It in turn puts cash quickly and with a minimum of red tape into the hands of Canadian soldiers who see a need for aid to local Afghan women and children. It has raised $128,000 as of July 2008. www.boomerslegacy.ca
*Sincere thanks to J.Sullivan for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to brainmd and I. Cartwright for the grave photos.∼My name is Maureen Eykelenboom, and the day my son Andrew died in Afghanistan is the day my life changed forever.
For me, Remembrance Day is every day.
My youngest of three sons, Andrew decided to join the military in June 2001 after he graduated from Grade 12. He had wanted to be a firefighter but was too young to be accepted into firefighting school. So he signed up with the Canadian Forces and joined as a medic, all fitting into his plan of being a fire fighter/paramedic in the future.
Three months later, on Sept. 11, I remember calling him and asking him to change his mind because I knew that by joining the military now it would mean that he would be going to war sooner or later.
He was leaving for basic training on Oct. 1 and responded by telling me, "Well, mom, if that's the case I'm going to be needed more than ever — end of story."
In the fall of 2005, Andrew told my husband and I that he was on a deployment to go to Afghanistan in early 2006. It was what he wanted to do and there was no turning back. He was trained as a medic — he was the youngest private, the only private in that advanced level of training, and he insisted that he be deployed because he wanted to do what he had been taught to do.
He was thrilled to go on that tour, he was going to be able to put into practice what he had learned. He did not realize just how much of his medical skills he would need in order to save many lives. When thanked he would just shrug and say "that's my job," not unlike any of our fine medics would respond.
In February 2006, he left for Afghanistan for a seven-month tour.
On Aug. 9, Andrew's infantry unit Bravo had completed its tour of duty and Andrew had handed in all of his medical gear on the 10th. He was packing to come home to Canada. But the next day, on Aug. 11, the medical unit was short two medics so Andrew volunteered to go back out.
On the return to camp, on his last mission, he was killed (we believe) by a 17-year-old suicide bomber.
The day of Andrew's repatriation in Trenton, Ont., was such a surreal time. It's beyond anyone's comprehension unless you've walked it. You're driving down that highway and there are people lined up on each side of the highway paying tribute to our son — and you think, they really do care.
At one point, our oldest son said, "Hey buddy, this is a ride for you" — it was like Andrew was with us. I thank Canada for remembering.
My son always wanted to help people and that's why he became a medic in the 1st Field Ambulance Unit (Edmonton). Andrew was the 26th Canadian to die in Afghanistan and the first Canadian medic to be killed in combat since the Korean War.
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, nicknamed, "Boomer" by his army buddies, left this world a better place. One of the things Andrew wrote home about was a small thing he did that put a smile on a child's face. He said it was the most important thing about this tour.
Because he volunteered to go on that last fatal mission, it made me feel like he was saying, "I volunteered to do my part, now mom it's your turn to do yours." I knew the day after he was killed that I would start a foundation called "Boomer's Legacy."
This fund was established so that soldiers on patrol could access funds to spend on projects in Afghanistan that might otherwise "fall through the cracks" — such as shoes for kids, or a generator for a water pump, a herd of sheep, medical operations, or blankets and caps.
I know that this is what my son would have wanted. Helping our soldiers help others is our mission and it's what we will always do, no matter where they are deployed.
When I think of Remembrance Day, I remember that we have the freedom we have in Canada because of the many men and women who wear a uniform, lace up their boots and give their all, bottom line — for us.
For all who served, all who perished in the field of battle or in peacekeeping missions. I remember — every day.
Corporal and a member of the medical unit, 1 Field Ambulance, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Aged 23. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Survived by his parents Hans and Maureen, his brothers Steven (Shannon) and Gordon (Fiona), his two nephews and his aunts and uncles.
He was killed by a suicide bomber in a vehicle attack while travelling with a NATO resupply convoy near the town of Spin Boldak, approximately 100 km southeast of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
Cpl Eykelenboom is the first Canadian military medic killed in action since the Korean War. His six-month tour was almost over when he died and he looked forward to his return in less than a month to relax with family and meet his new baby nephew.
His family allowed the release of the last email and photo he sent to his parents:
"Hi Mom and Dad:
Well, I finally got the picture you have been waiting for. About two weeks ago a little girl brought her infant sister to the Unit Medical Station while I was on duty. She had 2nd degree burns on her hand from touching a kettle. I bandaged her hand and after gave a doll that your friend made to her. She instantly stopped crying and started sucking on the nose of the doll. A special thanks goes from her older sister to your friend for such a wonderful gift; and a thanks from me for being the one to accept her gratitude. Making the children happy is the most rewarding thing about this tour.
Love Andrew"
Boomer's Legacy, a registered charitable fund set up by his family, gives every cent of its donated money to the Assistance to Afghanistan Trust Fund. It in turn puts cash quickly and with a minimum of red tape into the hands of Canadian soldiers who see a need for aid to local Afghan women and children. It has raised $128,000 as of July 2008. www.boomerslegacy.ca
*Sincere thanks to J.Sullivan for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to brainmd and I. Cartwright for the grave photos.∼My name is Maureen Eykelenboom, and the day my son Andrew died in Afghanistan is the day my life changed forever.
For me, Remembrance Day is every day.
My youngest of three sons, Andrew decided to join the military in June 2001 after he graduated from Grade 12. He had wanted to be a firefighter but was too young to be accepted into firefighting school. So he signed up with the Canadian Forces and joined as a medic, all fitting into his plan of being a fire fighter/paramedic in the future.
Three months later, on Sept. 11, I remember calling him and asking him to change his mind because I knew that by joining the military now it would mean that he would be going to war sooner or later.
He was leaving for basic training on Oct. 1 and responded by telling me, "Well, mom, if that's the case I'm going to be needed more than ever — end of story."
In the fall of 2005, Andrew told my husband and I that he was on a deployment to go to Afghanistan in early 2006. It was what he wanted to do and there was no turning back. He was trained as a medic — he was the youngest private, the only private in that advanced level of training, and he insisted that he be deployed because he wanted to do what he had been taught to do.
He was thrilled to go on that tour, he was going to be able to put into practice what he had learned. He did not realize just how much of his medical skills he would need in order to save many lives. When thanked he would just shrug and say "that's my job," not unlike any of our fine medics would respond.
In February 2006, he left for Afghanistan for a seven-month tour.
On Aug. 9, Andrew's infantry unit Bravo had completed its tour of duty and Andrew had handed in all of his medical gear on the 10th. He was packing to come home to Canada. But the next day, on Aug. 11, the medical unit was short two medics so Andrew volunteered to go back out.
On the return to camp, on his last mission, he was killed (we believe) by a 17-year-old suicide bomber.
The day of Andrew's repatriation in Trenton, Ont., was such a surreal time. It's beyond anyone's comprehension unless you've walked it. You're driving down that highway and there are people lined up on each side of the highway paying tribute to our son — and you think, they really do care.
At one point, our oldest son said, "Hey buddy, this is a ride for you" — it was like Andrew was with us. I thank Canada for remembering.
My son always wanted to help people and that's why he became a medic in the 1st Field Ambulance Unit (Edmonton). Andrew was the 26th Canadian to die in Afghanistan and the first Canadian medic to be killed in combat since the Korean War.
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom, nicknamed, "Boomer" by his army buddies, left this world a better place. One of the things Andrew wrote home about was a small thing he did that put a smile on a child's face. He said it was the most important thing about this tour.
Because he volunteered to go on that last fatal mission, it made me feel like he was saying, "I volunteered to do my part, now mom it's your turn to do yours." I knew the day after he was killed that I would start a foundation called "Boomer's Legacy."
This fund was established so that soldiers on patrol could access funds to spend on projects in Afghanistan that might otherwise "fall through the cracks" — such as shoes for kids, or a generator for a water pump, a herd of sheep, medical operations, or blankets and caps.
I know that this is what my son would have wanted. Helping our soldiers help others is our mission and it's what we will always do, no matter where they are deployed.
When I think of Remembrance Day, I remember that we have the freedom we have in Canada because of the many men and women who wear a uniform, lace up their boots and give their all, bottom line — for us.
For all who served, all who perished in the field of battle or in peacekeeping missions. I remember — every day.
Inscription
IN MEMORY AND HONOUR
OF
CORPORAL ANDREW JAMES EYKELENBOOM
"BOOMER"
BELOVED SON, BROTHER, FRIEND, COMBAT MEDIC, SOLDIER
BORN NOVEMBER 3 1982 EDMONTON AB
KILLED IN ACTION AUGUST 11 2006 AFGHANISTAN
"HEY BUDDY, SOMEDAY I WANT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU IN HEAVEN"
