Saskatchewan lake to be named for Nichola Goddard

Captain Nichola Goddard became the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in combat when she died in a firefight in the Panjwaye District of Afghanistan on May 17, 2006.

Her grandparents, Michael and Kathleen West live in Sault Ste Marie, ON.

A lake in Saskatchewan has been named Goddard Lake in her memory, reports Global News

Goddard, who was the 16th Canadian killed in combat in Afghanistan was born to British and Canadian teachers living in Papua New Guinea and she lived all over the world, attending high school in Alberta and graduating from the Royal Military College in Kingston.

Her life inspired many tributes including a book Sunray: The Death and Life of Captain Nichola Goddard by Valerie Fortney, published by Key Porter Books in 2010.

One of the Canadian Coast Guard's nine new midshore patrol vessels is named after her and, now, a lake in Saskatchewan will be named for forward observation officer, Capt. Goddard, whose job it was to call artillery fire on enemy targets.