Cpl McEachern served in my MIlitia regiment but I am not at liberty to discuss what hasn't been in the public domain, even though I never knew him nor did I work in the orderly room when any of his docs resided there. Nonetheless, he has gotten what to me seems like short shrift in some other discussion groups and I would be interested in how you other detached observers have viewed this situation.

The latest news I read was that he is claiming his actions were a suicide bid.

Other reactions I've read to him have been less than complimentary. I think it may be unfortunate that his mother has become a spokesperson. I personally think its admirable for anyone (woman or man) to publicly defend their son, but in some quarters it has been seen as "hiding behind mommy", which seems to me to be uncharitable in the extreme.

Any other thoughts or reactions?

Or is this not in the news east of Medicine Hat?

[ 13 April 2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

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Regards,

WRT the subject at hand, It's hard to say the CF hasn't taken PTSD seriously in the case of Cpl McEachern. Cpl McEachern has been on the MPHL undergoing treatment for PTSD for over 2 and a half years. This means he doesn't go to work with his unit (1 PPCLI). He is allowed to concentrates on overcoming his PTSD by working with medical specialists. He even gets to work in the civilian environment collecting both military and civilian pay. He is scheduled for release this summer as a medical discharge. He will receive a medical pension and will continue treatment for his disorder. Is this the CF not helping him out?

Cpl McEachern chose to drink alcohol, chose to get drunk, chose to drive a brand new Nissan Xterra through the base HQ...he chose the behaviour and he will hopefully have to pay the consequences. I don't buy he arguement that the military wasn't helping him and he did it as a "cry for help". Alot of people in Edmonton are upset that this joker is being hailed as a "hero" and all the attention he is receiving from the media, the Ombudsman and military heirarchy. If I have to listen his mother whine about how poorly treated her son is I'm going to scream!

My final point is PTSD seems to be the flavour of the month. Anyone that has been on any type of mission (including Golan Heights, Alert, Germany and Cyprus) are able to justify their personnal problems as a case of PTSD and, in my mind, are using the system to their advantage. I am not saying that there are not members of the CF that have PTSD and the CF should do everything in their power to help them out. Where do we draw the line though?

If you served your country and feel you are suffering from PTSD then by all means GET HELP, but save the hero labels for the guys who really deserve it.

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I certainly do not want to be "holier than thou", but for me it's relatively simple: I don't know all the facts - I only know what I've seen in the media, and here. Also, I don't know the individual concerned.
Thus, it's easy for me to err on the side of discretion in this instance.

Certainly, smashing up a building with a vehicle is an unusual method of expression - no doubt about it. However, Canadian justice (both military and civilian) is supposed to examine incidents like these from a number of angles - circumstances, motive and prior record, to name but a few.

Thus, I'm inclined to suggest we all wait and see what happens as due process takes place (i.e. I'm not just saying this because it's Easter and I've overdosed on chocolate bunnies, but ... before nailing anybody else to a cross, let's at least have a fair hearing).

Dileas Gu Brath,
M.B.

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April 11, 2021

Former general to probe sick soldier's case
Suicide attempt alleged as man drove SUV into building

James Cudmore
National Post
EDMONTON - Andr� Marin, the Canadian Forces ombudsman, yesterday appointed a high profile former general to investigate the case of a soldier who allegedly tried to commit suicide by driving his SUV through the front doors of a military headquarters in Edmonton.

Brigadier-General Joe Sharpe, who retired from the Canadian Forces in January, was asked to examine allegations Corporal Christian McEachern crashed his SUV into the Edmonton headquarters in a suicidal act of vengeance that resulted from shoddy treatment by the Canadian Forces.

"Joe Sharpe is just the perfect guy for this kind of work. He doesn't try to embellish matters, he says things the way they are, which is, I think, how he developed his credibility and his reputation," Mr. Marin said.

"He certainly has the confidence of the rank and file and I want to make sure people have confidence in the conduct of our investigation."

Cpl. McEachern faces five charges including impaired, dangerous and careless driving, assaulting a police officer and mischief as a result of the SUV incident. He has been on sick leave from his infantry battalion for two-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress resulting from peacekeeping deployments in Croatia and Rwanda.

Mr. Marin agreed to investigate the case last week following a meeting in Edmonton with Cpl. McEachern and Paula Richmond, his mother.

But yesterday Mr. Marin raised the profile of the case by appointing. Brig.-Gen. Sharpe, a popular and respected officer who previously headed a lengthy investigation into a 1993 Canadian deployment to Croatia, to assist in the case. In that investigation, Brig.-Gen. Sharpe concluded that a string of mysterious illnesses affecting Canadian soldiers who had served in Croatia were linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Yesterday, Mr. Marin said it was his experience investigating PTSD that made the retired general a perfect candidate for the McEachern investigation.

"He's done a lot of work in this area and he's an individual who when he was in uniform was accepted as an expert on the topic by the military," Mr. Marin said. "I expect his investigation will tackle some very thorny and difficult issues."

In March, the National Post ran a story on PTSD in which Brig.-Gen. Sharpe criticized the Canadian Forces for neglecting soldiers who return from overseas violence stricken with the psychological disorder.

"I have to be candid, I get a little perturbed at how we treat some of our people," he said in the article.

Yesterday, Mrs. Richmond, who speaks on behalf of Cpl. McEachern, her son, said Brig.-Gen. Sharpe's straight but stern language had renewed her spirit after a Parliamentary defence committee refused to allow her to speak to them about her son's illness.

"I can't tell you how much hope General Sharpe gave me. This means so much to us," she said. Mrs. Richmond believes the general's appointment will benefit her son.

"He knows what he's talking about and we need knowledgeable people who know about post-traumatic stress disorder," she said. "He is sympathetic to the enlisted man, which really does a lot for my heart. How much better could that be?"

Contacted in Ottawa, Brig.-Gen. Sharpe, said after 35 years of service in the Canadian Forces he was happy to be working outside the system to help soldiers like Cpl. McEachern.

" I like people, I like working with people and I like solving their problems," he said.

"They need some place to go when things get really frustrating before they drive their SUVs into buildings."

Brig.-Gen. Sharpe said as a former military insider who had studied PTSD he was in a unique position to help the ombudsman's office better understand the pressures soldiers face on dangerous overseas peacekeeping missions.

"Hopefully, with my name recognition, perhaps a few other soldiers who are having difficulties will come forward," Brig.-Gen. Sharpe said.

"That's exactly the reason I was so keen on joining in."

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects people who have undergone highly stressful or dangerous events. It can result in nightmares, depression, acts of violence and suicide.

Yesterday, Cpl. McEachern was awarded two more medals from the Canadian Forces in recognition of his military service.

Mrs. Richmond said she found the presentation ironic coming less than a week after her son was charged: "The timing is really weird," she said.

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Dileas Gu Brath,
M.B.

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Calvary charge
Re: Nurse's Note Lends Credence to Story of Crucified Soldier, April 14. Iain Overton's piece misses the important questions that merit examination when we revisit the story of the "Crucified Canadian." Whether Sergeant Harry Band died from crucifixion or other means is not important. Millions died from 1914-1918 in countless ways. However, as Mr. Overton relates, the story of a wartime crucifixion spread quickly in 1915 and resonates today. In the face of death and horror, the crucifixion of a soldier, whether fact, propaganda or trench myth, would have been a powerful image. In The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell explores the important role of myth and superstition among solders in WWI and cites the "Crucified Canadian" as an example. He reports how soldiers in northern France and Belgium were constantly reminded of the crucifixion by the calvaries at many rural crossroads. He also describes how the story of the "crucified Canadian" repeated itself in different variations during the war and that American troops in late WWII had a story of the "Crucified American." Sgt. Band's family can pursue how he died. Our efforts might be better applied to understanding how soldiers reach for well-known images to try to explain their experience in war. Finally, the Regiment's name is 48th Highlanders of Canada, not the 48th Canadian Highlanders. B.R. Carbert, Calgary.

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