Warrant Officer, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ontario. Aged 37, he was born in Newmarket, ON. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan and served as a member of Task Force Kandahar's Operational Mentor and Liaison Team.
He was killed with Cpl Mark Robert McLaren and Pte Demetrios Diplaros, after their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb, during a joint patrol in the Arghandab District with Afghan National Army soldiers. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
WO Wilson always wanted to be a soldier, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who spent 35 years in the army. In a sense, he started his military career at age 12 when he joined 2799 Queen's York Rangers Army Cadet Corps in Aurora, Ontario. He retired from the unit as a Cadet Major and the Cadet Commanding Officer at the age of 18 to join the Regular Forces. His awards and decorations include Canadian Forces Decoration (CD); Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal; General Campaign Star (International Security Assistance Force); Gulf and Kuwait Medal; Protection Force (Yugoslavia) (1992-95); NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia, Sacrifice Medal (Posthumous).
R.J., as he was known, enjoyed poker and was a fan of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. He previously served in Kuwait during the first Gulf War and in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. He was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan and was to become an instructor after this rotation. His common-law spouse, Master Cpl Debra (Starr) Hendrickson was stationed with the National Support Element at Kandahar Airfield when he was killed. Robert also leaves behind his daughter Emily Wilson (age 9) and son Owen Wilson (age 7) along with their mother Ann Pritchard; his mother Anne Wilson; brother Patrick Wilson; grandmother Doris Doherty and other family. He is predeceased by his father Sgt Doug Wilson, a long-time Keswick and York Region police officer.
Funeral service held Monday, December 15, 2008 at a Roman Catholic chapel at CFB Petawawa.
The deaths bring to 100 the number of Canadian troops killed since the country's forces arrived in Afghanistan in 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also died.
*Sincere thanks to SusanR for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to Mike Thompson for the photo.
He was killed with Cpl Mark Robert McLaren and Pte Demetrios Diplaros, after their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb, during a joint patrol in the Arghandab District with Afghan National Army soldiers. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
WO Wilson always wanted to be a soldier, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who spent 35 years in the army. In a sense, he started his military career at age 12 when he joined 2799 Queen's York Rangers Army Cadet Corps in Aurora, Ontario. He retired from the unit as a Cadet Major and the Cadet Commanding Officer at the age of 18 to join the Regular Forces. His awards and decorations include Canadian Forces Decoration (CD); Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal; General Campaign Star (International Security Assistance Force); Gulf and Kuwait Medal; Protection Force (Yugoslavia) (1992-95); NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia, Sacrifice Medal (Posthumous).
R.J., as he was known, enjoyed poker and was a fan of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. He previously served in Kuwait during the first Gulf War and in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. He was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan and was to become an instructor after this rotation. His common-law spouse, Master Cpl Debra (Starr) Hendrickson was stationed with the National Support Element at Kandahar Airfield when he was killed. Robert also leaves behind his daughter Emily Wilson (age 9) and son Owen Wilson (age 7) along with their mother Ann Pritchard; his mother Anne Wilson; brother Patrick Wilson; grandmother Doris Doherty and other family. He is predeceased by his father Sgt Doug Wilson, a long-time Keswick and York Region police officer.
Funeral service held Monday, December 15, 2008 at a Roman Catholic chapel at CFB Petawawa.
The deaths bring to 100 the number of Canadian troops killed since the country's forces arrived in Afghanistan in 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also died.
*Sincere thanks to SusanR for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to Mike Thompson for the photo.
Warrant Officer, 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment based in Petawawa, Ontario. Aged 37, he was born in Newmarket, ON. He was deployed with the Canadian contingent of NATO forces in Afghanistan and served as a member of Task Force Kandahar's Operational Mentor and Liaison Team.
He was killed with Cpl Mark Robert McLaren and Pte Demetrios Diplaros, after their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb, during a joint patrol in the Arghandab District with Afghan National Army soldiers. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
WO Wilson always wanted to be a soldier, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who spent 35 years in the army. In a sense, he started his military career at age 12 when he joined 2799 Queen's York Rangers Army Cadet Corps in Aurora, Ontario. He retired from the unit as a Cadet Major and the Cadet Commanding Officer at the age of 18 to join the Regular Forces. His awards and decorations include Canadian Forces Decoration (CD); Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal; General Campaign Star (International Security Assistance Force); Gulf and Kuwait Medal; Protection Force (Yugoslavia) (1992-95); NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia, Sacrifice Medal (Posthumous).
R.J., as he was known, enjoyed poker and was a fan of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. He previously served in Kuwait during the first Gulf War and in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. He was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan and was to become an instructor after this rotation. His common-law spouse, Master Cpl Debra (Starr) Hendrickson was stationed with the National Support Element at Kandahar Airfield when he was killed. Robert also leaves behind his daughter Emily Wilson (age 9) and son Owen Wilson (age 7) along with their mother Ann Pritchard; his mother Anne Wilson; brother Patrick Wilson; grandmother Doris Doherty and other family. He is predeceased by his father Sgt Doug Wilson, a long-time Keswick and York Region police officer.
Funeral service held Monday, December 15, 2008 at a Roman Catholic chapel at CFB Petawawa.
The deaths bring to 100 the number of Canadian troops killed since the country's forces arrived in Afghanistan in 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also died.
*Sincere thanks to SusanR for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to Mike Thompson for the photo.
He was killed with Cpl Mark Robert McLaren and Pte Demetrios Diplaros, after their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb, during a joint patrol in the Arghandab District with Afghan National Army soldiers. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City.
WO Wilson always wanted to be a soldier, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who spent 35 years in the army. In a sense, he started his military career at age 12 when he joined 2799 Queen's York Rangers Army Cadet Corps in Aurora, Ontario. He retired from the unit as a Cadet Major and the Cadet Commanding Officer at the age of 18 to join the Regular Forces. His awards and decorations include Canadian Forces Decoration (CD); Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal; General Campaign Star (International Security Assistance Force); Gulf and Kuwait Medal; Protection Force (Yugoslavia) (1992-95); NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia, Sacrifice Medal (Posthumous).
R.J., as he was known, enjoyed poker and was a fan of the Ottawa Senators hockey team. He previously served in Kuwait during the first Gulf War and in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. He was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan and was to become an instructor after this rotation. His common-law spouse, Master Cpl Debra (Starr) Hendrickson was stationed with the National Support Element at Kandahar Airfield when he was killed. Robert also leaves behind his daughter Emily Wilson (age 9) and son Owen Wilson (age 7) along with their mother Ann Pritchard; his mother Anne Wilson; brother Patrick Wilson; grandmother Doris Doherty and other family. He is predeceased by his father Sgt Doug Wilson, a long-time Keswick and York Region police officer.
Funeral service held Monday, December 15, 2008 at a Roman Catholic chapel at CFB Petawawa.
The deaths bring to 100 the number of Canadian troops killed since the country's forces arrived in Afghanistan in 2002. One diplomat and two aid workers have also died.
*Sincere thanks to SusanR for her generous sponsorship of this memorial page.
*Thanks to Mike Thompson for the photo.
