Cornwall, P.E.I., mother Lynn Bradley learned Sunday morning that something had happened at CFB Wainwright where her son Cpl. Ryan J. Bradley is training. “I started to panic immediately,” she said. When she checked her phone, she discovered a missed call from him and a voice message, saying he was okay. Now her thoughts are with the 39 injured soldiers and the four who died in the deadly fire on the base, as well as their families. “I’m just absolutely devastated for those that lost their lives and for their families,” she said. “It takes a special kind of parent to be able to support their children in their decision to join the military, because you know that it comes with risk.” She’s joining communities around Atlantic Canada who are honouring those impacted, with many lowering flags to half-mast. The tragedy is being felt especially hard in Oromocto, near CFB Gagetown. Its mayor told CTV News the base has close ties to Wainwright, with soldiers stationed at either base often flying to the other for training exercises. “When something tragic like this hits, it hits everybody right in the heart,” Mayor Bob Powell said. And the close ties mean residents may know people who were hurt or killed in the fire. “They’re watching TV and they’re trying to see if they know anybody, you know or friends or colleagues that they’ve worked with before. But it’s just bringing back memories of the ones we’ve already lost.” All three Maritime premiers have released messages of condolence to those impacted by the fire. On Monday, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told media she doesn’t yet know if local trainees were injured. “We’re waiting on that information but understand that they need to address the support on the ground and work through to the families, first and foremost,” she said. She noted the province has many people who have worked on Base Gagetown, as well as military families. “The lump that that puts in your throat as a military family and as a broader community of a province that really relies on and supports the military here in New Brunswick, we offer all our condolences and support to the families that have been impacted,” she said. In Halifax, Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight told reporters Canada’s military community is “tremendously interconnected.” “I think it is that connection of shared experience of individuals coming together to support each other, to support the family community, that is an integral part of the Canadian Armed Forces community,” she said. The Department of National Defence did not say whether any Atlantic Canadians were injured in the fire.
