On 15 September 2007 members of the local community and volunteers of the Canadian Forces got together and constructed a park dedicated to the memory of Captain Nichola Goddard. Captain Goddard lived in Sault Ste. Marie at one time and both her grandparents lived there.
Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard joined the Canadian Forces under the Regular Officer Training Plan in June 1998 and attended Royal Military College until 2002, when she was a granted a degree in English on the Dean's List. She graduated as a trained artillery officer and was posted to the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant. Goddard’s early years in the armed forces involved fighting wildfires and avalanche control in British Columbia. She was later promoted to captain.
Captain Goddard was supporting B Company of 2 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry as part of Task Force ORION in the Panjwai District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan when she was killed in action on 17 May 2006. Goddard and her team were ambushed by militants as they moved into a mosque in the Paanjwayi district. As the commanding officer, Goddard was standing in the turret of the LAV, with her head and shoulders exposed. Numerous rocket-propelled grenades hit their vehicle. Shrapnel struck Goddard in the back of the head, killing her instantly. She was the first female Canadian soldier to die in a combat role.
Captain Goddard was 26 at the time of her death and was survived by her husband, her father, her mother and her two sisters. She is remembered by her forward observation party as a good officer who considered the advice of her subordinates.
