A Canadian soldier found dead on a base in New Brunswick earlier this week is being remembered as a loving father who served overseas four times.
Warrant Officer Mark Boychuck, 41, died Monday at New Brunswick’s Gagetown base. Officials have not released his cause of death but say it was not the result of a training accident.
Over a 20-year career in the military as a combat engineer, Boychuck served three times in Afghanistan and once in Bosnia. He was born in Montreal.
Friend Fabian Henry described Boychuck as “a good friend, a good soldier, a good dad.”
“So when something like this happens to a young man like that, that shocked the hell out of me,” Henry told CTV Atlantic.
He added that leaders within the military and government should be paying attention to Boychuck’s death.
“There should be some alarm bells going off. Not pointing fingers, but just shining light on (the fact that) we need to come to the table as a group, everybody, have a voice and come up with solutions to reduce the suffering.”
The flag at the CFB Gagetown, about 91 kilometres north of Saint John, is flying at half-mast to honour the fallen soldier.
Col. Keith Osmond, Commander 5th Canadian Division Support Group, has asked people should “refrain from speculation” regarding Boychuck’s cause of death.
Since leaving the military, Henry has advocated for supports for members. He says that serving overseas can be dangerous, but that coming back home presents its own host of issues.
“What happens when you do get injured and do need to take a knee is the resources in place don’t seem to be effective,” he said.
The investigation into Boychuck’s death has been handed over to the Canadian Forces national investigation services. New Brunswick's medical examiner is also investigating.
