CFB TRENTON, Ont. - About 100 supporters gathered outside this eastern Ontario military base Thursday on a sunny spring day for the repatriation ceremony of the second female Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.

Trooper Karine Blais, 21, was just two weeks into her first tour of duty in Afghanistan when the armoured vehicle she was riding in was struck by a roadside bomb in the Shah Wali Kot district, north of Kandahar city. Four other soldiers were wounded in Monday's attack.

As the casket holding Blais's body was lowered from a military aircraft, family and friends gathered around a waiting hearse, clutching each other for support.

Many of the spectators held Canadian flags as they stood outside the base's fence, which was adorned with yellow ribbons.

William McQuay has created scrapbooks to commemorate Canada's fallen soldiers, and he said each time it gets more difficult as he watches families grieve the loss of their loved ones.

McQuay said he is saddened to see the lives of so many young soldiers cut short.

"I feel this is what she wanted to do and get a career from it after she was finished, but she just didn't make it," McQuay said. "Her dreams didn't come true."

Blais was described by relatives and colleagues as an adventurous and sociable young woman who hoped to learn a trade in the army that she could eventually apply outside the military. Her death prompted her godfather to say Canada should pull its troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Blais, a native of Les Mechins, Que., served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment, also known as the Van Doos, but was a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada. Both regiments are based at CFB Valcartier, Que.

Spectator Kathleen Paul, the mother of two soldiers who have served in Afghanistan, said military families are constantly worried for their loved ones overseas.

"It's very hard to see our soldiers going there and not coming back," said Paul, who wore a red cap and sweatshirt and held a Canadian flag to show her support.

"They're so young and most of them haven't even started their lives."

Capt. Nichola Goddard of the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery was the first female Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

Goddard, 26, died May 17, 2006, in a grenade attack in the Panjwaii district, west of Kandahar city. She was the first Canadian woman to be killed in action while serving in a combat role.

A total of 117 Canadian soldiers have died as part of the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

Lynda Campbell -- a self-described army daughter, wife and mother -- said she attended the repatriation ceremony to show respect for all military families. She said she is worried her daughter, who is stationed in Ottawa, could be sent to Afghanistan.

"It's sad and emotional," Campbell said, "but it's her duty."

Blais's death came a day before the Royal 22e regiment took over from the 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment as the primary battle group in southern Afghanistan.