Dozens of military cadets injured at CFB Valcartier in 1974 are fighting for compensation, and a formal apology, 37 years after a grenade went off in a classroom.

The blast killed six cadets and injured 54 others, and the survivors did not talk about the incident until a reunion two years ago.

That sparked a book by Gerry Fostaty and several others, and a movement for an official apology. 

 

A horrible oversight

In July 1974 a room full of 14 and 15-year-old boys were attending a lecture on ammunition.

Eric Maura and John Hannon were in the classroom, and they were told the box of M-61 hand grenades at the front of the class was not live ammunition.

The difference was easy to spot.

"Dummies are supposed to be all blue," Hannon said. "A real ammunition, grenade or mortar live ammunition is green."

One of the grenades in the box was green.

"I clearly saw a live grenade," said Maura. "I didn't realize it was live at the time but it was different than the rest being pulled out."

Some cadets questioned how the green grenade got in the box but no one seemed worried, and one cadet asked how it worked.

Then he pulled the pin.

"He had it in between his legs and basically when the thing went off if he took a good impact himself," said Hannon. "I think Eric did save a few lives. God bless his soul."

Maura was directly behind those killed and still has a piece of shrapnel in his eye.

"The one small piece that went into my right eye affected career choices for me later in life. I wanted to be a pilot. That was no longer an option for me," said Maura.

 

Survivors feel forgotten

Immediately after the blast the teenagers were isolated and debriefed.

"So hush hush because, I believe, it was an army base and somebody was responsible for killing six kids," said Hannon.

"I think a lot of us feel forgotten," said Maura.

They were also left without support.

Charles Gutta, who was a Sergeant Major in 1974, was one of the rescuers in 1974.

"Everybody rushed to the lecture room and that's when we saw the atrocity of what happened," said Gutta.

He was only diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2009.

His doctor, Gilles Dupont, says the way the military and society deal with PTSD has changed dramatically in the past few decades.

In 1974, "nothing was done to recognize emotional injuries, to give proper care and treatment to those injuries," said Dr. Dupont.

The coroner's inquest determined that Army Captain Jean-Claude Giroux was criminally responsible and the Army was negligent.

Gutta is now trying to get the Army to issue a formal apology to the wounded, "to get somebody in government to realize that something happened."

CTV Montreal attempted to get an answer out of the Department of National Defence, but one was not forthcoming, largely because there is a federal election underway no one knows who the next minister in charge of the department will be.

Instead, the DND issued the following statement:

"The fatal incident in Valcartier in 1974, resulting in the accidental deaths of six Army Cadets and injuries to many others, was a national tragedy.

While the tragedy cannot be reversed, it must not be repeated. Safety is a vital consideration in the Army Cadet program, which has changed significantly since 1974. The program places great emphasis on citizenship, leadership, and physical fitness activities in a professionally supervised environment.

We thank and commend Mr. Fostaty, and those who relived their tragic memories in order to collaborate in his book, for keeping alive the legacy of those promising young lives that were lost that day."

 

Upcoming event

On Sunday April 10, 2011, Gerry Fostaty and three other authors will read excerpts from their books.

The Books and Breakfast event sponsored by Paragraphe Bookstore begins at 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Hotel.

Tickets are $32.