Sergeant Kirk Taylor
Sergeant Kirk Taylor
Sergeant Kirk G. Taylor was bom on 10 April 1981 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He joined the military on 5 April 2000 serving in the Reserve Force with 84th Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA). Since the completion of basic training, Sgt Taylor worked as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery School and LFAA Training Centre in Gagetown, New Brunswick.
In his civilian life, Sgt Taylor worked at Y.A.C.R.O (Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options). At this job he worked with people with special needs from all walks of life.
Sgt Taylor completed the Tactical CIMIC Operator course in April 2008 and was deployed on Task Force 3-09 in October 2009 with the Provincial Reconstruction Team as a CIMIC Operator. Sgt Taylor was a natural born leader. His professionalism and dedication to the task at hand as well as those under his command was truly remarkable.
As a volunteer instructor with 110 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps (RCACC) and as a Team Leader with the Yarmouth Ground Search and Rescue Team, he demonstrated that his passion for helping those in need extended far beyond what was required of him as a soldier and a care worker at Y.A.C.R.O.
Sgt Taylor had a unique way of keeping things short and to the point. Regardless of how difficult any challenge may have been, he always met it with a positive "can do" attitude; his mere presence providing inspiration to his soldiers while lifting their morale during the bleakest of situations.
Sgt Taylor was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device in Kandahar Province on 30 December 2009. He is survived by his girlfriend Felica Raymond, his mother Christina Smith, his sister Stephanie Wickens, and his brother James Wickens. Sgt Taylor will be forever missed and dearly remembered by his family, friends, and the entire Gunner Family.
Family Statement
We would like to express our appreciation for the thoughts and prayers for our family, during this difficult time.
We admired Kirk’s dedication and desire to be part of the Afghanistan mission, and his expressed wish to be part of the hope that our Canadian military is seeking to realize there. Kirk worked hard to realize his ultimate goal to deploy and of being able to contribute to hopes of the Afghan people.
As I watched my Son’s military aspirations progress from his early years in Sea Cadets, and then his enrolment as a Reserve soldier, I saw him become the man I knew he always was. We are very proud of Kirk’s dedication and commitment as a soldier.
Kirk’s contributions to his civilian career with the Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options demonstrated his pride and his passion for helping others improve their quality of life.
We will always cherish Kirk’s wild, witty sense of humour, his quiet confidence, strength of character and most importantly his ability to lift the hopes of those around him.
The Familiy of Kirk Taylor