P.E.I. soldier recovering from roadside bomb

Cpl. Tyler Coady is home in Charlottetown recovering from injuries he suffered when his light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

'It was like we hit a brick wall.' — Cpl. Tyler Coady

On June 1, the 21-year-old reservist with the P.E.I. regiment was behind the wheel of a light armoured vehicle in Kandahar province. He noticed the dirt on the road ahead looked as if it had been disturbed, and he slowed down just in time to deflect the blast from not one but two roadside bombs.

"For us on the inside it was like we hit a brick wall," Coady told CBC News Tuesday.

"You just got slammed around really hard. I saw the flash, I lost my eyesight. I lost my hearing, just temporarily. So I still gave it gas, and the guy next to me was holding the wheeland we drove out of there."

Two people were hurt in the blast, but Coady received the most serious injuries. He's recovering from torn ligaments in his neck and from tinnitus, a constant ringing in his ears.

He hopes to make a full recovery. Even if that's not the case, and even if his injuries prevent him from pursuing his intended career with the RCMP, Coady says he doesn't regret volunteering to serve in Afghanistan. He said he's happy just to be home in one piece.

Fourteen more reservists from the P.E.I. regiment will begin the trip home over the next few weeks.

Canada has more than 2,000 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, mostly in the volatile southern Kandahar province. Since the mission began in 2002, 66 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan.