Bryan Brulotte used a Wainwright fire letter in the National Post on Oct. 19 to remember the deaths of four soldiers at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. He wrote that the tragedy also left many others with terrible injuries, and he tied the loss to Remembrance Day.
Brulotte’s Wainwright letter
Brulotte named Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding, Pte. Hayden Lykkemark and Sgt. Morgan Wong as the soldiers who died while serving. He described military service as a conditional life, one that carries the knowledge that duty may demand the ultimate sacrifice.
He also wrote that “the profession of arms demands courage, sacrifice and an acceptance of dangers that most Canadians will never face.” The letter placed the deaths beside the injuries to many others, giving the Wainwright tragedy a scope that went beyond the four named soldiers.
Remembrance Day and service
Brulotte said the Armed Forces represent the best of us, adding: “They represent the best of us: ordinary citizens who accept extraordinary responsibilities.” He also used the phrase “peace, order and good government” while reflecting on Canada’s freedoms and the people who defend them.
The letter turns on a hard contrast: it praises service as noble and public-minded while describing deaths and severe injuries at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. Brulotte framed that loss as a reminder that military volunteers accept risks that can be fatal, not abstract, and he said Canadians should honour those who died in service today on Remembrance Day.
The letter does not explain what specific incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright caused the deaths and injuries, leaving the focus on the soldiers named and the cost Brulotte says service can carry.
