LIEUTENANT WILLIAM TURNER
Right now, somewhere on a Canadian military base in Afghanistan, there may be a very lonely bicycle.
In the weeks leading up to his mission, Lieutenant William Turner had been trying to persuade his superiors to allow him to haul his indoor training bike along with him.
His racing buddies in Edmonton weren't hopeful the request would be granted, but they wouldn't rule it out because Lt. Turner, a relative newcomer to the road-racing scene, was pretty determined -- the exact same way he was on two pedals.
"I was like 'Oh, man. You've been infected, dude,' " said Chris Check, who was a member of Lt. Turner's racing team and the co-owner of the bike shop where Lt. Turner spent much of his free time.
"The guy was just amped and excited about everything. It was kind of contagious to be around."
Lt. Turner died along with three other Canadian soldiers when a roadside bomb tore through their lightly armoured vehicle.
He was volunteering as a civilian/military co-operation officer, the same job as CaptainTrevor Greene, who was nearly killed when an Afghan man swung an axe into his head during a recent meeting with elders.
Lt. Turner, who was around 40, had talked enthusiastically about the mission and his potential to open dialogue with the villagers.
He had fallen into the job much later in life: he was a former teacher and up until his departure in March, had been delivering mail for Canada Post.
"He's not someone who is aggressive or who is into violence. He was there to help," said Guri Randhawa, another racing friend and the co-owner of Edmonton's Pedal Road Works.
Since he left for the mission, Lt. Turner sent a postcard, a letter and an e-mail to his friends at the shop. Fear was never a deterrent for him in cycling and it appears it wasn't one in Afghanistan, either.
In one of the notes, he played down a rocket-propelled grenade attack that had recently hit his base. "He said it was kind of close -- kind of a cool fireworks show," Mr. Randhawa said.
He had been doing serious prepping over the winter for this year's racing season.
His goal was to move up from Category Five --considered the least competitive level for serious racers -- to Category Four. He had spent many hours with a trainer, and at the end of the last season, he splurged on a gift for himself.
It was black and silver and made of carbon fibre. Manufactured in Italy, his Wilier model was sleek, light and costly.
"He could have spent more on that than a lot of people invest in a car," Mr. Check joked.
Mostly though, he was in the sport for the socializing. Mr. Check remembered many a practice ride they would make in the suburbs of Devon or the farmland of Ardrossan.
The two would pull up, side-by-side, and yak through laboured breathing in staccato sentences. And he was always up for a beer and a burger at Original Joes, the racer's hangout in the west side of the city.
The soldier had no trouble pulling double-duty -- talking and hiking -- with a Canadian Press reporter, who tagged along with Lt. Turner in the early days of his mission.
"I'm one of the old guys," he joked with the reporter. "I'm easily the weakest link in this group," he added.
"I'm very well protected, very well looked after."
Lt. Turner, who grew up 100 kilometres north of Toronto in the town of Elmvale, has a sister in Edmonton.
His friends said both his parents had passed away and two of his uncles, reached yesterday, said they didn't want to comment.
-- Greg McArthur
Bill's two uncles were in complete shock over the devastating loss of their nephew. The words "thank you" are not enough to the Canadian Armed Forces who never left Bill's sister side from the time she was notified until the funeral was over.
Please if you see anyone serving in our military thank them. They are all doing a job that none of us would do.
Bill's two uncles were in complete shock over the devastating loss of their nephew. The words "thank you" are not enough to the Canadian Armed Forces who never left Bill's sister side from the time she was notified until the funeral was over.
Please if you see anyone serving in our military thank them. They are all doing a job that none of us would do.
Lt. Wm. Turner
April 22, 2006
Shah Wali Khot, Afghanistan
Killed by a roadside bomb
along with three other young men.
Bill is buried in the Erin Cemetery along with his
Grandma and Grandpa across the country road from
where his Dad grew up.