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Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, MSM, was the first female Canadian combat
soldier killed in combat, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan.
The daughter of school teachers, Nichola was born in Madang, Papua New Guinea. Her early years were spent moving to numerous Canadian
locations with her parents. The family settled in Edmonton, Alberta for a while
before moving to Antigonish Nova Scotia. There Nichola attended high school and
took up running and cross country skiing. Her team nicknamed her “Carebear” a
fitting tribute for the caring and considerate person she was.
Nichola entered the Canadian military, serving
with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and soon rose to the rank
of captain.
In January 2006, her regiment was shipped to Afghanistan. Captain Goddard arrived in
January 2006 and began her duties as a forward observation officer.
Almost immediately,
Nichola found herself embroiled in battle, but not on the battlefield. All
service personnel were housed in large white tents. The conflict started a
month after her arrival when Lt.-Col. Ian Hope
issued an order to hang tarps in the sleeping quarters to separate the females
from the males. Never a shrinking violet, Nichola was outraged. For months, she
had undergone the same strenuous, unremitting training as the men she led, sleeping
in the same trenches, sharing close quarters, fighting as equals. Nichola wrote
a letter to Hope, reminding him that the days of “objecting to mixing genders
in combat is over.” Despite the passion behind her words, she failed to sway
her commander and the tarps remained hanging, a bitter reminder of her loss and
the struggles of women in the military.
On May 17, 2006, rumors that the Taliban were
preparing to launch an assault on the city, resulted in Nichola and the crew becoming
in involved in a firefight in the Panjwaye
District. As troops were moving into a mosque to capture 15 alleged
Taliban members, several dozen hidden militants began firing from neighboring
houses. Moments before her death, Nichola became the first army officer, male
or female, to direct artillery fire against an enemy force since the Korean
War. As crew commander, Nichola was standing half-exposed in her LAV III,
when it was struck by two rocket-propelled grenades.
In honor of Nichola’s ultimate sacrifice, a school
in Calgary was named after her.
Nichola, your courage and beauty will live on in
the hearts of all those whom you loved and left behind. Thank you for your sacrifice.
We are proud of you and will let your name live on forever.
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| From History and Women |
