STELLARTON, N.S. — It was Corporal Kevin Megeney's mischievous grin and penchant for pranks that people in this small community reflected on yesterday in a moving tribute to a fallen Canadian soldier.
Under the vaulted ceiling of a small, white church, hundreds of mourners recalled a young man who worked hard at whatever he did, but who relished the chance to make friends laugh.
"I stand before you with a smile -- Kevin was the reason I can smile," said Cpl. Brent Bowden, one of Cpl. Megeney's closest friends and the comrade who accompanied his body home from Afghanistan.
"Kevin was more to me than just a friend. He was my partner. . . . I'll never forget you. Thank you buddy."
Military personnel and grieving relatives packed Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church to hear stories of how the 25-year-old reservist from Stellarton served his battalion with honour and pride.
Cpl. Bowden, who deployed with Cpl. Megeney last December, said the red-headed infantryman knew the risks of going to Afghanistan but was intent on helping people less fortunate than himself.
"He believed in the mission we are carrying out in Afghanistan today," Cpl. Bowden, dressed in beige fatigues, said in a eulogy that mixed humour with raw emotion.
"That was his reason for serving. That was his reason for going. He believed that he would make a difference. He wanted to help."
Cpl. Megeney was a member of First Battalion Nova Scotia Highlanders. He died March 6 after he was shot in his tent at the NATO base in Kandahar.
Military officials have confirmed that Cpl. Megeney was shot in the chest, but haven't commented on allegations he was killed by another member of his platoon.
Warrant Officer Chris Saunders remembered Cpl. Megeney as a "quiet professional" and "a hell of a soldier" who had a funny side that brought levity to the occasional bleak day.
Cpl. Megeney's mother, her face marked by anguish, accompanied her son's casket into the church and stroked it gently as she took her seat alongside Cpl. Megeney's father and two older sisters.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay was among the mourners, as were the parents of some of the seven other Nova Scotians killed in Afghanistan.
As the service was starting, Robert Morrison stopped outside to recall how Cpl. Megeney and his son used to hang around as childhood friends.
He said Cpl. Megeney grew up to be a fine man. "Everything good -- just full of life, a gentleman, 100 per cent," he said as he entered one of the buildings next to the church opened for overflow crowds of about 200. "Everyone could talk to him. He was just a nice guy."
Mr. Morrison said the town of about 5,000 people on Nova Scotia's north coast was stunned by Cpl. Megeney's death.
Utility poles along Stellarton's main street were festooned with yellow ribbons in memory of the slain soldier. Elsewhere, ribbons adorned storefront door handles, notice boards and many lapels.
Cpl. Megeney was the 45th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan since the Canadian mission began in 2002. A Canadian diplomat was also killed. Six Canadian soldiers have been killed in accidental or friendly fire incidents since 2002.
Canada has about 2,500 soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
The son of Karen and Dexter Megeney, Kevin volunteered to go to Afghanistan in December.
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