I've written several posts about the tragic story of Cpl. Stuart Langridge, who killed himself seven years ago after serving his country honourably in Bosnia and Afghanistan.
I told you how the military didn't accept that he was suffering from PTSD, they didn't treat his illness, they treated him like a cheater, until he finally hanged himself.
I also told you how they kept his suicide note from his parents for over a year, even though it was addressed to them.
And how his parents finally found out earlier this year that a secret military report had blamed him for what happened.
But this has to be the final betrayal.
Canada’s top general has personally written to the parents of a dead soldier to tell them their loved one’s suicide wasn’t the result of his military service and to suggest that the medals issued in the aftermath of the death weren’t deserved.
Lawson told the couple that a military board of inquiry concluded that the suicide of their son, Cpl. Stuart Langridge, in the barracks at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton wasn’t related to his service. In addition, because of that determination Lawson raised the issue in the June 22 letter about whether medals should have been awarded to the parents. The couple received Memorial Crosses and the Sacrifice Medal.
“Those medals were the only tiny bit of honour we had left from the military,” explained Sheila Fynes in an interview Tuesday. “Now they’ve said Stuart wasn’t worthy and we shouldn’t have the medals.”
And I have to admit that words fail me. I can't believe that anybody could be so callous. But I do believe his mother.
“It was about sticking in the knife even further to tell us about the medals,” she explained. “It’s payback. We created a lot of problems for the military because we wouldn’t go away and our case was high profile in the media.”
It's payback for having fought so hard and so long for their dead son, and other military families who like them have been treated so shabbily.
And all I can say is Lawson is due to retire soon, but if there was any justice he should be fired TOMORROW.
And of course repeat what I have been saying for a long long time.
Since this, and so many other horrible things, could only happen in Harper's Army...
And he corrupts everything he touches.
The day we take our country and our army back.
Can't come soon enough...
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16 comments:
All done on Harper's watch. Just another e.g. of when people are of "no use" to harper and his herd, they just don't care. Lawson can't go soon enough. You'd think some one in cabinet might have suggested Lawson go sooner then later, but then we already know they don't care about Canadian military personnel or Veterans. They can be replaced.
It seems to me that this case is a great opportunity to publicly shame the Harper Government including the puppet Lawson. If I were the parent of the of a young man who took his own life due to P.T.S.D., while still in the service of this country, anger would be the mildest word to describe how I would feel. I would feel compelled to march on Ottawa with some media attention and demand to see Harper and Lawson where I would hand them their precious pieces of tin back.
What an utterly ghastly story. Blaming his mum for her son's death - for getting divorced, of all banal things - is beyond gruesome as well.
Revolting, absolutely revolting. How has the Canadian Military (along with the RCMP) sunk so low under Harper's watch? The corruption, the callousness, the abusive disdain, that oozes out of the PMO and cabinet is contagious it seems.
Time to get that disease ripped out of our body politic.
His mother is absolutely right that it's payback. That's how Harper's flock do things if you oppose them, in all government departments. It's this callous and spiteful vindictiveness that is this cancer known as Harper and I hope all those that aided and abetted this monstrosity are outed and fired on the spot once we're rid of him.
JD
Never let it be said the cons or their appointees accepted blame for their own actions. Do we not remember Del Mastro and his opinion on his "guilty" verdict. Lawson is no different. to accept responsibility for something which went wrong means you aren't perfect and that is something the Cons can not accept, for they are made in god's image and god is perfect, so they are perfect. its just the rest of us aren't so perfect because we aren't part of the cons favorite church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, where the bible is "inerrant" and the second coming is "imminent". Perhaps in their perverted ideas they think death of a young man is better than life. Who knows. I just believe those cons and their hanger onners are nuts and that goes to Lawson. Doesn't any one read his mail before it goes out? Aren't we paying public affairs people to review this shit. You just don't say those things to parents.
What this is really all about is ensuring no other parents complain after their children die. The military is sending a strong message. We will grind you and your child's memory into the ground and make all of you look like trash. Job accomplished. Now lets go crush harper and his herd and never forget what they did to Canada, our military personnel, Veterans, etc.
How do you know this church is the "con's favorite church"? Documentation please.
The military board of enquiry saying that Stuart's service wasn't related to his service is like saying eating lots of food isn't related to being overweight!
Correction. "his service" should say "his suicide"
hi e.a.f...up until now I thought Lawson was merely incompetent, as well as a Harper stooge. But after that vindictive action I think he's worse. And it tells you a lot about how low the military brass in this country have fallen...
hi zoombats...Langridge's parents have been absolutely heroic in the face of the most miserable cruelty. Because they didn't get the suicide note, they had to wait over a year for some kind of explanation from their son. And were not able to fulfil his wishes as to what kind of funeral service he wanted. It's simply beastly, but don't worry it will only motivate military families and their supporters even more....
hi lagatta...I've written about a lot of ghastly military stories. But I think this one is the worst. The mixture of indifference, and deliberate cruelty couldn't be more shocking. As the sexual assault situation clearly demonstrated our army needs to be cleaned up before we can call it Canadian....
hi Noah...yes isn't it disgusting, and there are many horrible little details I didn't include. I salute the courage and decency of Stuart's parents, and pray for the day of deliverance....
hi anon...I can't see it as anything else. You cause problems, you pay for it. It's a bully culture and we need to uproot it....
hi anon...you're absolutely right. Afghanistan was a very bad place, but Bosnia was in some respects even worse. The atrocities our Canadian soldiers witnessed would scar any decent person. Stuart Langridge suffered from PTSD, and because the military didn't treat him, he killed himself. It couldn't be worse, and they couldn't be more responsible...
I have a friend in Sherbrooke who teaches adult students, and among them were armed forces veterans who had served in both Bosnia and Rwanda. To put it mildly, not situations that make one think highly of humanity, of any culture or race. How could anyone think seeing neighbours murder each other would not have an impact on any observer's mental balance?
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