We remember Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede

News Article / November 9, 2020

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Original article posted on the Veterans Affairs Canada website.

Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, a military image technician serving with the International Security Assistance Force Regional Command (South) headquartered at Kandahar Airfield, was killed when the Chinook helicopter he was a passenger in crashed in Kajaki, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on May 30, 2007.

Darrell was born in 1977 in Burlington, Ontario. Two years later, the Priede family moved to Greenwood and later Grand Forks, British Columbia, where he graduated from the Grand Forks Secondary School. In 1996, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces where he served as a gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery and two tours in Bosnia. After his second tour, he transferred to the Air Force where he served as a photographer. He was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan during Operation Athena a military offensive against the Taliban. He had been serving in Afghanistan a little more than one month before the helicopter crash.

Master Corporal Priede is survived by his wife, Angela Dawn (Mitchell) Priede, with whom he had just marked his four-year anniversary (May 14, 2003) before his passing. He was 30 years old and the 56th Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

In honour of Master Corporal Priede, the Canadian Armed Forces have instituted the Master Corporal Darrell J. Priede Top Candidate Award for the seven-week Army News Course which began in the fall of 2007.

Mrs. Roxanne Priede of Grand Forks, British Columbia, was the 2012 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. On May 30, 2007, her eldest child, Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, was killed in a helicopter crash while serving with the International Security Assistance Force Regional Command (South) headquartered at Kandahar Airfield. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2012, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

Mrs. Priede, née Chartrand, attended Briarwood Vocational High School. While there, she met John Priede and the two were married on October 16, 1976. In 1979, the Priedes moved to Greenwood, British Columbia, where she chose a career as a stay-at-home mom for almost 15 years to raise their three children–Darrell, Denise and David–before accepting employment as a custodial contractor.

Mrs. and Mr. Priede enjoy outdoor activities, including going for long walks and camping. They also cherish spending time with their three grandchildren and other family members.