Lt. Somebi Uzoegwu, who died in the New Brunswick collision Sunday, was “quiet and hard-working,” his former high school football coach says
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The death of a London military officer in a fiery crash in New Brunswick that also killed two other Southwestern Ontario reservists has sent shockwaves through the city’s football community, his former coach says.
Lt. Somebi Uzoegwu of the 1st Hussars regiment died following the single-vehicle crash early Sunday in Sheffield, N.B., about 40 kilometres from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, the military’s largest base in Eastern Canada.
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“A lot of people are shocked by how tragic the event is,” said Jean-Paul Circelli, who coached Uzoegwu at Catholic Central High in London and is now the head football coach at the University of Windsor.
“Any time someone loses their life at this young a stage, someone that was serving for his country, it’s definitely a shock and a tragic loss of life.”
Uzoegwu played high school football in London more than a decade ago, before joining the roster of the University of Windsor Lancers.
Circelli remembers Uzoegwu as a “quiet and hard-working individual” who was well liked by the football community.
“He had a contagious smile and he was the type of player other players gravitated to, because that was the kind of player he was and what his work ethic was like,” Circelli said.
Neither the RCMP nor the military has publicly identified any of the soldiers killed in the crash, but an online fundraising campaign has begun for a second London soldier, Kevin Nkubito, who also died Sunday, according to the GoFundMe account.
“Known for his kindness and generosity, he would do anything for those he loved,” according to the fundraiser’s webpage, organized by Janessa Nkubito. “His loving personality was the hallmark of who he was. Even the briefest of encounters would leave a lasting impression.”
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The Nkubito fundraiser is to help pay for his family’s “accommodation, transportation, as well as additional aid the family may need to and from Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa where a military burial will occur to honour his service,” the post reads.
The National Military Cemetery is located in Beechwood Cemetery in the nation’s capital.
The deaths of the three area reservists killed in the New Brunswick crash – one from the 1st Hussars, based in London and Sarnia, and two from the 4th Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, based in London and Stratford – were reported earlier this week in a post on a Facebook page associated with the 1st Hussars.
Family members contacted by The London Free Press had not responded to requests for comment.
Authorities have not said what the reservists were doing in New Brunswick and why they were on the road just after 3 a.m. Sunday when the vehicle swerved off the road, struck a tree and caught fire.
The two London-area regiments are in the 31 Canadian Brigade Group, which is part of the 4th Canadian Division.
Friday, the division’s senior public affairs officer confirmed three soldiers from the brigade group died in a non-service-related car crash near Oromocto, N.B. on Sunday, but provided no other details.
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“We are all thinking of their families and friends during this sad time,” Major Christopher Daniel wrote in an email, adding the investigation is with the RCMP.
The RCMP in Oromocto, N.B., said they are not releasing the identities of the crash victims. Police had been using forensics to positively identify those killed.
The Free Press sought comment from Lt.-Col. Paul Williams, commander of CFB Gagetown, and from Lt.-Col. Chris Vandenberg, commander of the 1st Hussars, but had not received replies.
Calls to the public affairs officer of the Royal Canadian Regiment’s 4th Battalion also were not returned.
Earlier this week, in a post on the 1st Hussars-related Facebook page, Vandenberg said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the crash. “The next few days will be difficult for the unit.”
The 1st Hussars is an armoured reconnaissance regiment and the 4th Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment is a reserve infantry unit.
Reservists are part-timers who spend part of their career training for and being available for military service when needed. They also help with natural disaster relief and recovery efforts, and often train on weekends and weeknights.
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