A 'phenomenal leader': Friend remembers soldier killed in Wainwright fire

And family and friends continue to mourn the loss of loved ones as a result of Saturday's incident at CFB Wainwright, including my next guest. Andrew Pearson is a friend of Sergeant Morgan Wong. Hello. Thank you for joining us today. Hello. Bonjour, Arthie. Thank you for having me on the program. I know this is a difficult time for you, for so many friends, family members of Sergeant Wong. So, again, I appreciate that this is a difficult conversation. We very much appreciate you sharing your insights about Morgan Wong with our viewers. I want you to just start by telling us how you're remembering him. Last time I saw Morgan, September 19th of last year, it was at a wedding for a fellow member who was part of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. And there is, I'm speaking for myself, but I am positive that a lot of people that knew Morgan would agree that we really regret not spending more time with him. We really regret not, we really regret the missed opportunities we had to really, really spend more time with him. You know, I'm so sorry, Andrew, to hear that, to hear how you're feeling. And, of course, this is all a process. Can you share some of your favorite memories? Well, there's one that comes to mind right away. It was during our winter warfare training that we had up in Yellowknife. The whole unit went up, flew up to Yellowknife. And the conditions, obviously, during winter warfare training are quite challenging. And it was not easy by any metric. And it was very challenging. But Morgan was in my tent group and I remember how stoic and I remember how he did not complain one bit. And it's an amazing thing to see someone grow as a person, but it's an even more amazing thing to watch someone grow from a civilian into a warrior. and the reason why that's standing out to me is because we were all going through the same thing and everyone deals with hardship in a different way and Morgan had a quiet stoicism about him that I'll never forget. You know I have to tell you there's so many conversations often about the importance of the impact one has on the world and watching you smile as you're remembering this time that you spent with Morgan, surely that is a lasting impact that he would be so pleased to see that he's still bringing a smile to your face and to so many others who have these wonderful memories with him. You know, you mentioned that you watched him transform from a civilian to a warrior. I mean, just how grueling was your time with him and your time at CFB Wainwright? The experiences one goes through in the military, regardless of your trade, it's designed for one purpose it's to serve Canada and defend it and everyone who makes that commitment goes through this transformation it's not just Morgan it's everyone and Morgan is an amazing example of that and I think people need to remember especially people who are not within the military and they need to understand that Morgan and everyone who has impacted this the three other members from the PPCLI and the men and women who are currently dealing with the fallout of this that are in hospital and are in their respective units they need to unders people need to understand that everybody signed up for this and we want people to know that we willingly accepted this and the challenges and if there's one thing thing I want people to remember on Remembrance Day. It's Morgan, the three others from the PPCLI that got impacted and their families. And I also want them to remember the people that are still struggling in hospital and their families, because right now, that is what's important. The conversations, the conversations that are taking place right now are varied. And in my opinion the conversations that need to happen are how can we support and help everyone who's been affected by this and the units but if there's one thing i can ask of canada is to understand the positions that canadian armed forces members and veterans put themselves into and we willingly and knowingly sign ourselves up for this. And it is an incredibly noble service that all of, everyone who does this is doing for this country. And certainly it is with a lot of gratitude that people watch what is happening and support the families. As you mentioned, 27, we understand, remain in hospital of those dozens who were injured. You know, you articulate how deeply Morgan and the others will be missed, those who lost their lives here. I'm wondering if you're able to take me back to what went through your mind when you found out and what sort of conversations you've been having with others at CFB Wainwright following all of this as you try to, of course, you know, cope with this great loss. There are a lot of emotions that one goes through when they find out something like this, especially when you're this well-connected, that everyone is well-connected in the military. Um, everyone's invested in the military, whether you, whether you're currently serving or a veteran and the emotions that first come out are dread, shock, confusion. Um, and for myself, uh, I, for myself who was, I was a firefighter and I served in the Royal Edmonton Regiment um it was it was very difficult because uh your brain always goes into hypotheticals and i knew as soon as i heard as soon as i heard i i knew that we had i had friends there and i had uh fellow soldiers there that would have been impacted uh and it's hard the waiting to get more information is one of the hardest, hardest parts. And the one thing I really struggled with was just all the speculation that I was reading. And right now, humans always look for more information when they are trying to figure something out. And that's the hardest part that I think all of us were going through. Andrew, once again, I can't tell you, you know, how much we appreciate you sharing this with us. I understand it is an incredibly difficult time for you and for your family and your friends who are remembering those who are lost and, of course, supporting those who continue to fight for their lives. So thank you once again for joining us and for sharing those thoughts and those memories with our viewers. Thank you, Artie. If I could just close by saying one thing. The most important thing right now is the mental health of members and veterans currently and supporting our families. So I would encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out to each other or to call or reach out to any of the resources that are offered. I want all current members and I want all veterans to remember that it's times like this where the best in us come out. and it's times like this where the regimental family and military really shines through because it's between the officers, between the non-commissioned members and everyone else and importantly the public. We really appreciate all the support and most importantly we need to look after each other and our fellow citizens. Andrew, thank you for that important and insightful message. We appreciate it. That is Andrew Pearson. He is a friend of Sergeant Morgan Wong. Thank you.