Flags Lowered at Province House for Capt. Francis

Flags at the legislature are lowered to half mast out of respect for Capt. Jefferson Francis, a member of the First Regiment-Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, Man.

Capt. Francis died of injuries sustained from a roadside bomb Wednesday, July 4, while serving with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. Five of his colleagues and an Afghan interpreter were killed at the same time, about 20 kilometers southwest of Kandahar City.

Capt. Francis was born in New Brunswick. His parents live in the Halifax area and his father has retired from the military.

"A Nova Scotia family has lost a son who was trying to bring peace to the people of Afghanistan, and we all mourn his tragic death on behalf of the government and people of Nova Scotia," said Premier Rodney MacDonald.

"I want to express our profound condolences to the parents of Capt. Francis, and his wife and young son," said Murray Scott, Minister Responsible for Military Relations. "It is at times like this that mere words are unable to express how deeply we share his family's grief."