About 500 people came out to show their respects at Pte. Robert Costall's memorial on Thursday at the Christian Life Assembly (CLA) in Gibsons.
Mourners filled the CLA gymnasium and the front lobby, spilling out onto the sidewalk. More locals who wanted to pay their respects gathered in the Gibsons Legion parking lot surrounding a memorial wreath for Costall, while sounds from inside the service carried out over speakers set up at the cenotaph.
Costall's body was flown to Vancouver Tuesday and escorted by Vancouver Police motorcade to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal where his remains were transferred to the Coast.
The young soldier died tragically while serving his country near Kandahar, Afghanistan Tuesday, March 28 at the age of 22. He fell while defending his comrades during an insurgent attack on their outpost at approximately 2:45 a.m.
At the memorial service a platoon of soldiers stood at the ready as the hearse that held Costall's body pulled up. One soldier held Costall's uniform and once the flag-draped coffin was hoisted by the pallbearers, salutes were held in honour of him.
Inside the service an emotional Bud Costall shared some of his fondest memories of his little brother. "He was a bright, blue-eyed child. Always smiling, always happy his loyalty to his friends was beyond compare. If you were a good friend of Robbie's you were family in his eyes. When you were with him, you just felt you belonged," Bud said.
He said Robbie was a loving man who was proud of his family and whose only regret going to Afghanistan was missing some of his son's "firsts in life."
His son Colin was born just before he left for Afghanistan.
"He was a family man and he loved the army," Bud said.
Military personnel formed outside CLA to honour Costall with a 15-gun salute where 45 shots were fired.
The flag was presented to Costall's widow Chrissy before the family moved into the Gibsons Legion for a memorial tea put on by the Legion and the Ladies' Auxiliary.
The military filmed the event for the family who will be presented with a "pack of imagery from the event," said Capt. Dan Thomas.
Costall's mother and father, who live on the Coast, have had a supportive circle of friends surround them during their time of grief.
Their employers have started a fund in Costall's name that is now open at all Sunshine Coast Credit Unions.
Bob and Susan Hoy of the Marketplace IGA in Gibsons have set up posters in memorial of Costall at their store and offered ribbons in memory to customers at no cost.
"People just keep wanting to give. We have more than $1,000 in donations now," Susan said.
Costall's mother works at IGA and his father works at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP) where employees have taken up an offering for the family.
"I don't want to say how much has been given but let's just say everyone has been very, very generous," said Al Strang, manager, environmental and external relations for HSPP.
The fund is going to be left up to the family to use as they see fit.
"I think that's best," Strang said.
The money collected has been put in a Robert Costall memorial fund with the Credit Union. Both employers hope the community will continue to give.
Costall will be sadly missed by all who knew him. A captain of the regiment Costall belonged to had this to say to his family on a memorial message board: "No words I can say will ever ease the pain of losing Robert," said Capt. Hugh Atwell, 7th platoon commander, 1 PPCLI in Kandahar.
"I only hope you can take some small comfort in the knowledge that Rob ran to the sounds of the guns and to help his fellow soldiers. It is very difficult for all of us to accept how such a promising life could be cut short.
"Rob was an excellent soldier and an excellent human being. He was always the quiet man whose words meant a great deal. He always had a grin to cheer up his fellow soldiers when the going was tough. His loss is a blow to us because of the quality of his character."
Premier Gordon Campbell was recently on the Coast on business and expressed his sadness at losing one of our Canadian soldiers.
"I can't imagine what it feels like to the Costall family," said Campbell. "It feels like it almost comes out of nowhere. In the armed forces you always feel that your friends or family will always come home. "I think for the rest of us it should underline how fortunate we are to live in a democracy, how fortunate we are that we have people who will stand up for democratic principles and we should remember that there are sacrifices that go along with that. "I know there have been a lot of flags at half-mast and a lot of feelings and heart that have gone into the loss of Pte. Costall. I think we should all just be grateful that we have men and women like him who are willing to serve this country and all kinds of international situations as peace keepers and as democracy builders. "My thoughts, my prayers go out to the entire Costall family and to the people of the Sunshine Coast who've lost a very valuable citizen."
While the Coast and Canada remembers Costall as a fallen hero, there are currently more than 2,200 Canadian men and women serving in Afghanistan. Messages from home mean a lot on the battlefield, which is why the Department of National Defense (DND) has set up Write to the Troops initiative.
"Canadian sailors, soldiers and air force personnel deployed on operations need all the seasonal cheer they can get, and messages, postcards and letters from home are very important to their morale," said a statement from DND.
Post cards, letters and parcels containing bundled letters addressed to "Any CF Member" will be accepted by DND. To send a letter of support to our troops in Afghanistan, write to OP Archer, PO Box 5058, Stn Forces, Belleville, Ont. K8N 5W6.
You can also post a message on the Write to the Troops message board by going to , where other addresses of Canadian soldiers deployed around the world are available.
Since the firefight that lead to Costall's death, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) and the U.S. Military have conducted a preliminary investigation into the attack. Their findings warranted a full CFNIS investigation, which is now underway. The U.S. military, Canadian, U.S. and Afghan authorities are taking part in the investigation.
"The initial findings justify the requirement for further investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the firefight, including whether any of the casualties may have resulted from friendly fire," said a news release from the DND.
There is no timeline as to when the investigation will be completed.
