Soldiers gathered Friday at the Edmonton Garrison to talk about the painful loss of losing three comrades in Afghanistan and their renewed determination to carry on the mission for their friends.

A handful of soldiers met with local media to remember Sgt. Shawn Eades, 33, Cpl. Dustin Roy Robert Joseph Wasden and Sapper Stephan John Stock.

The commanding officer of the three Canadian soldiers said their deaths have brought both sorrow and pride to the military family.

"We certainly feel sorrow for the loss of our comrades and for the difficult times the family have to go through," said Col. Andre Corbould of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade. "But we take pride in the job that these soldiers did."

The three men were killed Wednesday by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan's Zhari district. A fourth soldier was seriously injured by the IED.

The massive roadside bomb exploded while the soldiers were travelling to a site to do reconnaissance for a future mission.

The three soldiers were combat engineers with 12 Field Squadron, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Edmonton, and were attached to the Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.

Remembering their friends

Some of the people at the Edmonton Garrison spent their very first days at basic training with the fallen soldiers.

Master Cpl. Richard Fiessel said he looked to Sgt. Eades as a big brother, despite them being the same age.

"He was an extremely confident leader, a mentor, excellent soldier," he said. "We miss him, everybody misses him, especially in armed combat instruction where you wouldn't think you would get hurt, but he'd hurt you."

Cpl. Sean MacCreedy remembered Cpl. Wasden, or "Wozzy", as a man who would stick his word, no matter how small or lavish the promise.

"He is just a good guy," he said. "He's a farm boy from Saskatchewan."

Spr. Jonathan Allison knew Sapper Stock as a mentor who loved his job.

"When I first heard his name mentioned initially, I was quite shocked," he said. "You never really expect it to be someone who you are close to, but after a few minutes once it started sinking in I was very proud that he did that."

The Edmonton Garrison has had to cope with losing six soldiers in the last five weeks.

An international tribute

Meanwhile, more Canadian soldiers gathered for a ramp ceremony at Kandahar Airfield -- the third in just two weeks -- to pay tribute to the three men.

The flag-draped caskets of the three men were then carried onto a transport plane for the beginning of the journey home.

Back in Canada, military analyst Col. (ret'd) Michel Drapeau said Friday that Canada needs more help from the international community.

He said Canada cannot exert itself anymore than it already has in the region.

"Should NATO do more? Absolutely. Is it doing enough now? No it's not," said Drapeau.

He said the Taliban are as determined now as they've ever been in the past.

"Everyday we should be putting pressure on our NATO allies, either bilaterally or multilaterally, to make sure we're are all pulling our share," he said.

The deaths bring the total number of Canadian soldiers who have died during the Afghan mission to 93.

Prior to Wednesday's incident, NATO forces had already suffered the loss of 10 French soldiers and three Polish soldiers this week -- killed in fighting with militants.

Despite the casualties, Brig-Gen. Denis Thompson says the Taliban cannot break the resolve of the military because the "soldiers believe in this mission."

With files from CTV News Staff and The Canadian Press