I would like to know how people feel about the PTSD issue. It seems to be afecting more and more troops and the CF is having a hard time coping with all that is necessary to help it's own kind.The latest public case is Cpl C McEachern in Edmonton see article below...
One soldier's death wish
On March 15, Cpl. Christian McEachern drove his SUV through the Edmonton Garrison, trying to end the nightmares that have plagued him since serving overseas. Now, as Bev Wake reports, his mother is fighting for her 'broken' son and others like him.
Today, a month shy of 31, Cpl. McEachern is in a mental health institution in Edmonton. His blood pressure is so high he's at risk of a stroke.
Cpl. McEachern has been in the hospital since March 15, the day he drove his SUV through the headquarters at Edmonton Garrison, smashing computers, chairs and cubicles under its wheels. He was trying to kill himself that day, in an attempt to end the nightmares, the depression, the panic attacks, the anguish that have plagued him since returning to Canada after serving on peacekeeping missions in Croatia and Rwanda.
Arrested by military police and taken to a mental facility for treatment after the accident, Cpl. McEachern is not yet facing any charges.
If charges are laid, says his mother Paula Richmond, it will kill the physically strapping young soldier who chose to drive through that specific garrison because he knew it would be empty -- and knew it didn't house a Canadian flag or his regimental colours.
"He's a good soldier," Mrs. Richmond explains. "He didn't want to dishonour his unit."
That loyalty may be ironic, she suggested, since her son and the hundreds of other military personnel suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder aren't getting the help they need upon returning to Canada from overseas service.
"This is a guy who would die for that flag, and no one is standing up for him," Mrs. Richmond said last night from her home just outside of Medicine Hat, Alta. "This wasn't a criminal act, this was a cry for help."
Mrs. Richmond will be in Ottawa today to speak about her son's plight.
"This is actually an epidemic and this is my concern," she said. "I want to speak not just for Christian but for all the other soldiers who are broken, and all their mothers and daughters and sisters and wives because they don't have anywhere to turn either. I'm afraid Christian's voice won't be heard."
Today, Mrs. Richmond is expected to ask retired Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire to intervene on behalf of the suffering soldiers, using his experiences as an example. "My son, General Dallaire is like a God to him. This is the guy he looks up to for hope," Mrs. Richmond said.
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posted 25 March 2021 21:06
