Fund created in name of Capt. Nichola Goddard to support women in military
In the 11 years since Canadian soldier Nichola Goddard was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, she has been widely memorialized throughout the country.
Goddard was the first female Canadian soldier to ever die in a combat role, and is arguably one of the most well-known soldiers to have died in that conflict.
Now, her family has announced a new fund in her name, which will support women in the Canadian military.
The Captain Nichola Goddard Fund will be overseen by the the True Patriot Love Foundation, a Canadian charity that helps service members and their families.
The fund will help pay for essential services for women in the Canadian Forces and female veterans.
Sally Goddard, Nichola's mother, said the fund is meant to help make it easier for women to forge a career in the military. She said money from the fund could go toward a variety of things, like helping women with childcare costs.
She said her daughter felt like she "found a home" in the military, so the family wants to support other women taking the same path.
"You'd hope to think that other women will find the same thing," she said.
Mom pens books to reflect daughter's legacy
The fund is far from the first memorial of Goddard.
Since her death, several things have been named for her, including a school in Calgary, a Coast Guard ship off the coast of British Columbia, and a lake in Saskatchewan.
Sally Goddard also recently penned a book about Nicola, titled Canada's Daughter: the story of Captain Nichola Goddard.
Goddard said she decided to write the book after a visit to a Grade 5 class to talk about her daughter.
She asked the teacher if she knew who the school was named after, but the teacher had no idea.
"I didn't want that to happen to Nichola, so that was the reason for the book," she said.
The book tells the story of Nichola's early life, while also containing details from the many letters she wrote.
Goddard was serving in Afghanistan with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry at the time of her death. She was a member of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based in Shilo, Man.
She was killed during a firefight during an operation to secure Kandahar's outskirts from Taliban insurgents.
