CFB Wainwright tragedy weighs on Legion before poppy drive

The deaths and injuries at CFB Wainwright are weighing heavily on members of Saskatchewan Legion branches ahead of the poppy campaign launch.

Roberta Taylor, president of all provincial Legion branches, said her heart goes out to the victims and their families.

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“We don’t often see any types of horrific things happen on our home soil,” she said. “So to have this happen here in Canada, albeit a training mission, it hits home really hard.”

Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre received the first poppy in Saskatchewan on Thursday.

Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre was the first person in Saskatchewan to receive a poppy. (Abby Zieverink/ 980 CJME)

The Royal Canadian Legion will make poppies available to the public on Saturday.

A lethal fire broke out at the Alberta military base on Oct. 17, leaving four dead and sending 39 to the hospital.

Private Shaun Farrell from Prince Albert was killed in the incident.

“Often seems a little bit surreal,” Taylor said. “It’s like ‘oh no,’ like ‘what went wrong? What can we do?’ ”

Georgia Morgan, a retired military medic, said her last posting was at CFB Wainwright in the 1980s. (Abby Zieverink/ 980 CJME)

Georgia Morgan, a retired medic whose last posting was at CFB Wainwright in the 1980s, said she was glued to the television while the fire unfolded.

“The personnel who were there, trying to help all these people and other fellow military members,” she said. “They run towards the fire; they don’t run away.”

Imagining what it was like for medics to help the victims was heart-wrenching for Morgan.

She said families will see repercussions of this tragedy for generations.

“We’re all one community with the military, and then on top of that, you’re going to have all the families that are impacted by it,” Morgan said.

Taylor said the Legion will continue to provide support for victims and families until they no longer need it.

Morgan hopes to see everyone pin on a poppy this Remembrance Day.

“Putting on the poppy, it’s a promise to remember who served the country and paid the price,” she said. “It’s not just throwing on a pin because it’s November. There needs to be thought and consideration behind it.”

—With files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink