They lined his route out of the city, waiting for a glimpse of the motorcade and the chance to pay their final respects to the 20-year-old who meant so much to so many.
Pinksen died in a military hospital in Germany Aug. 30, eight days after being wounded in the blast of an improvised explosive device in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.
He was serving as part of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.
He was the first soldier of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment to be killed since the First World War.
He was interred in Sop’s Arm Pentecostal Cemetery.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary had Premier Drive closed from Princess Avenue to Edinburgh Avenue around the First Pentecostal Church where the funeral was held and the public was held at arm’s length from the church.
That did not stop people from showing their grief at the loss of one of Corner Brook’s own.
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Joy Greene, a Halfway Point resident, said her son Master Cpl. Brad Greene did two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He’s a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment based at CFB Gagetown.
She didn’t know Pinksen or his family, but it was important to her to show support for the family and the members of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the unit Pinksen was a part of.
“It could easily as well have been my son here today,” Greene said. “Thank God it wasn’t, but I’m here to support him (Pinksen), the troops and the family.
“It’s hard on everybody, but I guess they’re over there for a cause, and we’ve got to support them.”
Paul Hoven took the Canadian flag off his house and held it across the street from the church while the funeral was going on.
He has no military background himself and didn’t know Pinksen, but he felt a loss nonetheless.
“The man gave his life,” Hoven said. “If you can’t spend an hour standing outside a church or inside a church paying your respects to someone who gave his life, I don’t know. It’s something everyone should do.”
Ada Young, a Corner Brook resident, said her five-year stint in the military during the Cold War made her feel a connection to Pinksen.
Her time in Germany, seeing the Russian forces just outside their camp was nothing like what the troops are going through in Afghanistan.
“I couldn’t miss this,” Young said. “I had to support them. I’ll always support them.
“Once you get into it, it never leaves you. That’s why I’m carrying my flags.”
Marjorie Rowsell, of Corner Brook, waited through the funeral to pay her respects.
She has a son stationed in Halifax in the navy.
“It’s tough on the parents, but they’re defending our country giving us the freedom that we have,” Rowsell said. “They’re all heroes.”
It’s hard on everybody, but I guess they’re over there for a cause, and we’ve got to support them. - Joy Greene of Halfway Point
Lt.-Col. John MacDonald, commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, praise the members of his battalion for doing a great job of giving Pinksen a good send-off.
He said was very excited about serving in Afghanistan and soldiering was in his blood.
Just having soldiers like him around made MacDonald feel good.
“It’s a big loss, like a family member,” MacDonald said. “If you lose a family member, how do you feel? The regiment is a family. The Canadian Forces is a family. We work hard, train hard and we hurt like everybody else.
“We feel for him right now and his family. It’s devastating for the unit and he’s going to be long, well remembered.”
