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On Tuesday, a memorial continued to grow at the front gates of CFB Wainwright, with pictures of the four men surrounded by flowers laid in the prairie grass, and another in support of the injured.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
Just days ago, Sergeant Morgan Wong was a volunteer medical responder with St. John Ambulance in Edmonton, excited about a recent promotion within the military, and eager to deploy on his second tour in Europe.
“He had so much potential,” his friend Rhyneice Cook said. “You know, kind of one of those people that you’re like, that guy’s going to change the world. And then, to lose him – it’s a great loss for humanity in general.”
Sgt. Wong, 26, was one of four soldiers killed in a devastating fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday afternoon.
The others were Private Shaun Farrell and Pte. Aidan Goulding, both 23, and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19.
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Canadian Armed Forces members, left to right, Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Sgt. Morgan Wong.HO/The Canadian Press
Thirty-nine other soldiers in their battalion were injured. As of Monday, 33 remained in hospital, many with serious burns covering much of their bodies. Nineteen of them remained in critical condition.
All of the victims were members of the Canadian Armed Forces serving with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
In social-media posts, crowdfunding campaigns and media interviews, relatives and friends have described the victims as young people dedicated to serving their country and communities, and who, in some cases, were burned while trying to help other victims.
A huge pile of flowers continues to grow at the cenotaph in Wainwright after four soldiers were killed in a weekend training exercise gone fatally wrong. Strong and sudden winds sent flames from a nearby grass fire across the Prairie landscape at lightning speed, stopping soldiers in their tracks and sending 39 to hospital, 19 critically. Six have since been discharged, says the defence minister.
The Canadian Press
The military has released few details about how exactly the soldiers were injured, saying only that a grass fire burning in the area spread suddenly in gusting winds and overtook the battalion during training.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told the House of Commons on Monday that 50 investigators are on the ground in Wainwright conducting three separate probes, including a military board of inquiry, which will consider how to prevent similar events in the future.
General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, told The Globe and Mail Monday that the inquiry could take a year, but promised the results would be made public.
The youngest of the victims who were killed on Saturday, Pte. Lykkemark, was remembered by his high-school rugby coach, Trevor Plater, as an athlete who stood out for his speed, fearlessness and self-confidence. But the coach said the teenager’s most exceptional attribute was how he cared.
In just minutes, tiny Wainwright hospital became scene of horrors and heroism
“He took care of people,” Mr. Plater said in an interview. “There were moments where I, as a coach, was thinking about checking in on somebody or was worried about somebody, but a lot of the time he was already there, having a chat with them and supporting them.”
Nadine Dunford, who helped raise the teen in Langley, B.C., said he dreamed of being a police officer and joined the military after high school as a step toward that goal. She told CTV Vancouver she talked to Pte. Lykkemark last week and that he said he was looking forward to the exercises in Wainwright.
“It’s just not fair. It was a training exercise,” she said, breaking down. “I understand that accidents happen – but why?”
The Prime Minister spoke individually about each of the four victims in Parliament on Monday. He said Sgt. Wong’s family remembered him as “someone who was always there for those who needed him.” He described Pte. Goulding as a young man who “met every hardship with a joke,” adding, “When others struggled, he shouldered more than his share without ever being asked.”
Military base had dedicated safety protocol for fires before deadly blaze
In a statement, Pte. Goulding’s family said he was an exceptional athlete who quit his career as a mechanic to join the Army.
“Although he was making excellent money and had a good life, he decided he wanted to defend his country. His goal was to work for Special OPs and then onto CSIS,” his mother, Sonia Monk, and older brother, Wylder Goulding, said.
They described him as “the guy that kept people’s spirits up,” with a contagious laugh and cheeky smile.
“Before he went to basic training, he said, ‘I know I have one life to live, and I’m gonna make the best out of it.’ That was our Aidan.”
Fifty investigators probing deaths of soldiers in CFB Wainwright fire, Carney says
Mr. Carney said Pte. Lykkemark and Pte. Farrell were best friends who were “seldom seen apart.” Pte. Lykkemark was “known for his gift for lightening a hard day, for his quick wit,” and Pte. Farrell was “a generous and deeply loyal friend.”
He said Pte. Farrell was known in his battalion as the “grandmaster of chess” and planned to spend his career in the Armed Forces.
A statement posted online by family friend Heloise Vermeulen describes Pte. Farrell as “a young man of exceptional character” who was “absolutely devoted to serving his country.”
City officials in Prince Albert, Sask., posted a statement saying the 23-year-old will be remembered as a hometown hero.
On Tuesday, a memorial continued to grow at the front gates of CFB Wainwright, with pictures of the four men surrounded by flowers laid in the prairie grass, and another in support of the injured.
With reports from The Canadian Press