Condolences pour in for Canadian soldier killed in Iraq

ABOVE: Friends remember Sgt. Doiron in his home-town of Moncton.

HALIFAX – As friends and family mourn the death of Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron, 31, people across the country are sending out condolences.

Doiron, who grew up in Moncton, was a member of the Special Operations Forces based in Petawawa, Ontario. He was killed during a friendly fire incident in Northern Iraq, where he was training local forces as part of Canada’s mission to fight Islamic State extremists.  Three other members were injured in the incident.

Leave your condolences for Sgt. Doiron at the bottom of this article

In a statement Premier Brian Gallant extended his sympathies to Doiron’s family. “On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment serving in Iraq.”

READ MORE: Canadian soldier killed by friendly fire in Iraq

Doiron attended Mathieu-Martin high school in Dieppe, NB. A high school friend of Doiron said he always wanted to join the military.

“He was not shy of who he was. He, had already had lots of pride and honour of being a Canadian and always wanted to join the army. So it was to none of our surprises that, that is what he intended to do,” said his friend Stephanie, who asked that her full name be withheld.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He was not shy of who he was. He, had already had lots of pride and honour of being a Canadian and always wanted to join the army. So it was to none of our surprises that, that is what he intended to do," said his friend Stephanie, who asked that her full name be withheld.

She said his death still came as a shock even though she knows the risks. “It makes you appreciate the sacrifice that  he did and what he fought for, and at the same time it’s also very sad.”

Moncton’s mayor told Global News he knew Doiron and his family. George LeBlanc called Doiron a “tremendous young man.”

“He was fearless and I’ll tell you if I was in a place where I needed someone to have my back, he’s the person I would want there.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He was fearless and I'll tell you if I was in a place where I needed someone to have my back, he's the person I would want there."

LeBlanc spoke with Doiron’s mother and said his death is a “tremendous loss” for the family.

READ MORE: Killed, injured Canadian troops acted professionally, Defence Minister says

Liberal MLA Bill Fraser called Doiron’s death a “very difficult situation to deal with.”

“My thoughts and my prayers are with his family and with his friends and with the community of Moncton, said Fraser. “It’s a tremendous loss.”

Defence Minister Jason Kenney said there will be two investigations into Doiron’s death, but said he can’t say how much of those investigations will be made public.

– With files from Andrew Cromwell, Global News.