Canadian Soldier Charged With Manslaughter
| 3/12/2007 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
Master Cpl Robbie Fraser of the PPCLI 2nd Battalion has been charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of negligent performance of duty in the death last August of Master Cpl Jeffrey Walsh, one of 44 Canadians killed in Afghanistan last year.
In civilian life, the death of the young soldier would likely have been ruled accidental and Master Cpl Fraser would have had the guilt to deal with. In the military, the discharge of a firearm is a serious act and the forces do not allow for ‘accidental’. Training in the handling and use of their firearms is intensive.
The investigation of the incident has been comprehensive and painfully slow for the family of Master Cpl Walsh. So much so that Walsh’s father had spoken out over the weekend about their experience and frustration at the lack of information about how their son died coming from the military.
In light of another young Canadian having died in what appears to be a ‘friendly fire’ incident last week, I sure hope that the investigation is as speedy as humanly possible and the family isn’t subjected to months of wondering.
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