A 21-year-old soldier and new father died in a road crash outside the Linton Army Camp in Manawatu yesterday - the fourth military death in two days.
The Defence Force was last night mourning the loss of Private Tahuna Tahapeehi, who died in a collision between his motorcycle and a car driven by a 20-year-old woman, also in the Army.
The woman, who is 33 weeks pregnant, was uninjured but was treated in the army hospital for shock.
Pte Tahapeehi's death follows Sunday's Iroquois helicopter tragedy in which three air force personnel were killed in a crash north of Wellington while on its way to Anzac Day ceremonies in the capital.
Pte Tahapeehi's commanding officer, Lieutenant-colonel Rob Krushka, said he was a professional, well-liked soldier who would be sorely missed.
Defence Force spokesman Major Kristian Dunne said many of the army personnel at Linton knew the air force victims and the latest death added to their pain.
"The accident on its own is tragic ... but to have it happen in such proximity to what happened [on Sunday] makes it that much harder."
Pte Tahapeehi was about to go home to Te Awamutu for the unveiling of his father's headstone.
He was riding along Camp Rd, outside the Linton military camp near Palmerston North where he lived with partner Sami Parpara and their son, Arikirau Wharepouri (4 months), when the crash occurred about 9.45am.
Pte Tahapeehi, or "Tars", was a driver in the logistics regiment and was looking forward to a posting in Egypt, his mother, Mitch Tahapeehi, said last night.
Mrs Tahapeehi's husband, a flight sergeant, died 10 months ago.
Her son was a driver at the Linton base since returning from a six-months in East Timor just in time for his son's birth.
