Serving soldiers say arrival of bodies should be private
Last Updated Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:16:11 EDT
CBC News
Many Canadian soldiers serving in Afghanistan agree with the Conservative government's decision to ban media coverage of ceremonies marking the arrival in Canada of the remains of soldiers killed in foreign action.
"When troops come home, I believe that's a family matter. I mean, it's a pretty sad time for all family, and I think it should be kept private," Cpl. Darrin Fudge said in an interview with CBC News in Kandahar.
"I don't think everyone else in the world should know what that family is going through."
On Tuesday, reporters were kept away as coffins containing the bodies of four soldiers were unloaded from a Hercules transport plane in Trenton, Ont.
The media ban prompted protests from federal opposition politicians, as well as from some relatives of past military casualties and members of the public. They felt it was appropriate to pay public tribute to those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
FROM APRIL 25, 2006: Harper on defensive over media ban on return of dead soldiers
But many of soldiers interviewed by CBC News in Afghanistan said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision was the right one, given the emotions relatives must be experiencing.
Some acknowledged they had mixed feelings, though.
"In some ways, it would be good for the general public to see. It would give them an idea of what's going on over here," said Master Cpl. Chris Schmidt.
"However, I don't know if I'd necessarily want everyone to see what my family is going through if it was me coming back in that type of plane."
He also noted that since the military is a very big but close-knit family, seeing the ceremony on television might help soldiers throughout Canada deal with the deaths of their comrades.
"There's guys back home that knew these guys," Schmidt said. "Maybe that's the only way they'll be able to actually get any type of closure too."
Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell, Lieut. William Turner and Cpl. Randy Payne were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan last weekend.
A memorial ceremony held for them on the tarmac of the Kandahar airfield was covered by the media, with the government's approval.
Fifteen Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.