By Scott Taylor
Last Wednesday sources within the military community began contacting Esprit de Corps magazine with information that a potential tragedy was unfolding in the Mediterranean. Our first reaction was to treat the rumours as a possible ‘fake news’ story initiated by a NATO adversary to spread discrediting disinformation about the Canadian Armed Forces.
However as events unfolded DND soon confirmed that the initial Greek media reports were correct: A CH-148 Cyclone helicopter had gone down in the Ionian Sea between Italy and Greece.
Following the notification of next of kin it was revealed that the body of Sub Lt Abbigail Cowbrough had been found at the crash site and a search was ongoing for her five missing crew members; Captain Brenden Ian MacDonald, Kevin Hagen, Maxime Miron-Morin, Sub-Lt Matthew Pyke and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins.
On Friday the Canadian Armed Forces announced that the five missing were now presumed dead.
The tragic news shocked the Canadian public and devastated the military community. Social media platforms exploded with an outpouring of grief and empathy for the families and loved ones of the victims. It was widely discussed in the public postings how hard this loss would hit the tight-knit crew of HMCS Fredericton, the frigate from which the CH-148 Cyclone was operating from at the time of the incident.
The public commentary was illustrative of just how personally inter-connected are the members of CAF. Many serving and former service members shared personal anecdotes and their memories of time spent with the six victims. It was noted that Captain Brendan MacDonald one of the Cyclone pilots was the eldest of the three siblings serving in the Canadian military. All three had been in the cadet program before enlisting. This was also the case with Sub-Lt Abbigail Cowbrough who was a piper in the Cadets before enrolling in the Royal Military College.
Many mothers of serving members wrote to express their understanding of the anxiety parents have when their children are deployed on operations.
What is not widely known by the general public is just exactly how close-knit the CAF family is in its composition. There is always the official nod to the unique camaraderie brought about by earning the right to wear a CAF uniform but the bonds often go far deeper.
There are approximately 6,000 military married couples within the CAF, which means almost one in five members are married to a fellow service-member. A recent study revealed that over 40% of all recruits who join the military have either one or both parents in the service.
This is why a tragedy such as this latest Cyclone disaster has such a hard hitting impact on the entire CAF. Even if they have no direct link to the victims, service-members realize that the military profession is never risk free.
One of the most common phrases uttered by civilians when they hear of such a tragedy is ‘I can’t imagine what these families must be going through.” For the military community it is something they can envision all too well.
For that reason, the families, friends, loved ones and comrades of Cowbrough, MacDonald, Hagen, Miron-Morin, Pyke and Cousins are not alone in their grief, the entire extended military family is standing with them.
In the weeks to come DND will learn more about the exact cause of the crash, but for now our thoughts and prayers should be for the families of the fallen.
As for the six victims involved in the crash, we shall remember their sacrifice.
