Grief of Wainwright tragedy echoes through Manitoba

Seeing these images is hard for Justin Woodcock. He served in Canada's Armed Forces for eight years. For five, he was posted in Edmonton. You know, when you're posted to Edmonton, we spend a lot of time training in Wainwright. It's our main training area. I have many memories preparing for field exercises. Four soldiers were killed after a fire swept through the base on Saturday. Dozens more were injured. I've never had to worry about whether or not I was going to come home from a field exercise. Never. And my family never worried about that. And so to think about that and to know that those folks went out and never made it home, it's tragic. Flags have been lowered to half-mast at CFB Shilo near Brandon. They're also at half-mast at the provincial legislature. Manitoba's premier offered his condolences in a statement Sunday, Winnipeg's mayor offering condolences Monday. Our thoughts are with their families, their fellow service members, and everybody affected by this tragedy. Woodcock says the incident is a grim reminder that military lives can be lost, not only in battle. That is what really stood out to me and I think Canadians are going to see that there's multiple levels of sacrifice when it comes to being a Canadian Armed Forces member and they're not all tied to being deployed overseas. The incident also impacts first responders, sparking a message for anyone struggling to know they're not alone. any individual first responder or a member of the military will have to cross that bridge and realize that they have to do it for themselves and not to be shy, don't live in a cocoon, and don't try to solve it yourself. Woodcock says veterans in Manitoba are working on ways they can help. And as the country prepares to remember its fallen soldiers, he says the deaths will add extra weight to Remembrance Day. Gavin Axelrod, CBC News, Winnipeg.