The soldier killed yesterday when a light-armoured vehicle overturned during a training exercise at Garrison Wainwright in northern Alberta was a commanding officer in charge of a 5,000-troop military training exercise.
Lt.-Col. Daniel Bobbitt, commanding officer of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery based in Garrison Petawawa, Ont., died Wednesday when an LAV III rolled over during the training mission for Exercise Maple Resolve 2014.
Four other soldiers were injured in the rollover at Wainwright, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Two of them were flown to a hospital in Edmonton, where they were in fair condition. The other two were treated at the base and released.
CBC National Reporter James Cudmore speaks with CBC's Mark Connolly about the incident
The LAV III is an eight-wheeled military vehicle with a large machine-gun-type cannon mounted on its roof.
"They're a bit top heavy as a result of that turret and that cannon, and they're a bit tippy," said CBC's James Cudmore.
"All you need is a bad road and an incline, some mud or rain, and you can see one of these vehicles tipping over."
While Bobbitt's location in the vehicle has not yet been confirmed, Cudmore said it is likely Bobbitt was sitting in the crew commander's hatch, which would have left his head and shoulders sitting above the vehicle's roof.
"As commanding officer, he would have been looking at the position of the other vehicles as they were moving across the Prairie."
Cudmore said fatalities caused by rollovers – during training and in field – aren't common, but there have been some instances.
In 2007, a 27-year-old corporal was killed in a vehicle rollover at Wainwright.
In 2008, two soldiers died in a rollover in Afghanistan; several months later, a third soldier died in a rollover during a military exercise at Garrison Petawawa, Ont., Bobbitt's home base.
Officers from the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, a high-level police unit, have been deployed to Garrison Wainwright to look into the accident.
Bobbitt was at Garrison Wainwright as part of Exercise Maple Resolve, a training exercise used to prepare troops for large-scale operations, such as those used in Afghanistan.
"This is featuring all the different bits and pieces of a brigade at war," said Cudmore, "So you've got artillery guys, you've got tankers and infantry, you've got air force elements, everybody working together."
In total, about 4,500 Canadian military personnel, joined by 500 others from the United States and United Kingdom, are involved in the exercise, which includes tactical moves, deliberate attacks, mobile defence and assistance to non-governmental organizations.
Exercise Maple Resolve is scheduled to continue through to June 1.
Bobbitt's military career began in Nova Scotia, where he enlisted as a soldier in the reserves in 1988. He later transferred to the regular forces where he became an officer, later serving as the senior instructor, field artillery, at the Royal Canadian Artillery School.
The father of three had 23 years of military experience, including two tours of duty in Bosnia and also in Afghanistan.
In 1997, he was the military liaison officer to the City of Winnipeg during the Red River floods.
In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences.
"I was deeply saddened to hear about the tragic accident today in Wainwright, Alta., that took the life of Lt-Col. Daniel Bobbitt and injured other Canadian Armed Forces members," he said.
"This accident is a painful reminder of how Canadian Armed Forces members put their lives on the line every day in the defence of Canada, whether it be in theatre or training here at home."
"The Canadian Army cares deeply for each and every member," said Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse, commander of the Canadian army.
"It goes without saying that we take every death seriously and as such we will explore all facets of these situations to try and learn from them while also providing the best support to the army family whenever a death does occur."
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