A Kitchener man killed while in Alberta for a military training exercise is being remembered for his big heart and his big laugh.

Sgt. Robert J. Dynerowicz died in hospital Tuesday. Military officials say he was commanding a light-armoured vehicle known as a LAV III when it rolled over, killing Dynerowicz and injuring three other soldiers.

“At this time, we don’t understand fully what occurred,” Col. Conrad Mialkowski said Wednesday at a media conference.

Dynerowicz is part of the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, which operates out of CFB Petawawa.

The group has been at CFB Wainwright in Alberta since early April for a training exercise.

Mialkowski, the group’s commander, said Dynerowicz’s LAV III was the only vehicle involved in the crash. It was being followed by a second armoured vehicle.

“It’s a hard time for those of us in uniform, but even harder for those in his family,” Mialkowski said.

Dynerowicz, Mialkowski said, had served two terms in Afghanistan and was known as “Dino” to his friends in the military.

Dan Twomey was friends with Dynerowicz long before his 2005 enlistment. The two met as children, playing hockey together and attending Stanley Park Public School, and maintained their friendship as adults.

“Everyone seems pretty shocked, and (is) trying to get a grip on how something like this can happen,” Twomey said in an interview.

Twomey recalled attending the Remembrance Day ceremony in downtown Kitchener in 2015, and posing for a photograph with Dynerowicz near the cenotaph.

“It seemed pretty emotional … to see him in his uniform,” he said.

“(I was) proud to be beside him. It just seems like yesterday.”

Mialkowski described Dynerowicz as a “very gregarious fellow” and “very competent leader” who was known for his loud, booming laugh.

“He’s going to be truly missed by his friends,” he said.

For his part, Twomey remembered his friend as someone with a “big heart” who enjoyed being based in Petawawa for its fishing opportunities, among other reasons.

“He deserves a lot of credit and he deserves a lot of recognition from people in this area,” he said.

A memorial service was held by Dynerowicz’s brigade Wednesday morning, Mialkowski said. All members were in attendance, including soldiers injured in the rollover.

The military has launched an internal investigation into the crash, which is not the first of its type at CFB Wainwright. In 2014, one officer died and four soldiers were injured when a LAV III rolled during a training exercise at the base.

With reporting by Leena Latafat and files from The Canadian Press