Defence minister weighs in on walk
Peter MacKay wants answers over base’s refusal to OK soldier’s march,
Military commanders at CFB Gagetown appeared to be on a collision course with Defence Minister Peter MacKay over their refusal to allow Cpl. Kate MacEachern to embark on a charity walk in aid of mentally injured veterans.
MacEachern has decided to leave the military rather than obey the order not to walk.
Shortly after the Citizen reported that the 34-year-old single mother and tank driver had been refused permission by her superiors to raise money for the not-for-profit group Military Minds, MacKay issued a statement from his riding.
“What Cpl. Kate MacEachern accomplished in the past and is organizing again is commendable,” said MacKay, who last year walked the final kilometre with the soldier on her first “Long Way Home Walk” and then heaped praise upon her for completing the 562-kilometre trek from Gagetown to her hometown of Antigonish, N.S.
“PTSD is a serious affliction and studies show that both preventative and post-mission care can help considerably,” he added. “The care of the ill and injured has been my top priority.”
MacKay was in Antigonish when he read the Citizen story.
“I just learned late this evening of Cpl. MacEachern’s request for additional time to complete another fundraising walk this year,” he said. “I have asked for more details as to why this request could not have been supported.”
There was no further statement from the minister’s office Saturday. MacKay is MacEachern’s hometown MP. MacEachern said Saturday that she had been inundated with messages from friends and colleagues across the country, but had not heard from DND or her base commanders.
When MacKay met and spoke with her at the end of last summer’s walk, MacEachern said it came as a surprise. “He gave me a hug,” she said, “and it was genuine. His comments were heartfelt.”
When the minister learned she had used her vacation time, he gave her two weeks’ vacation and praised her as “the eptiome of leadership.”
MacEachern raised $20,000 for the charity Soldier On last summer and this year is aiming to raise $100,000 on a long walk from Cape Breton to Ottawa.
A Gagetown spokesman told the Citizen on Friday that it was base commanders’ prerogative to deny MacEachern’s request and liability and cost issues were a major factor in the decision. But other than time off, MacEachern has asked for neither money nor resources from her base and has three sponsors prepared to cover most of the costs and says she will cover the rest.
The spokesman said he didn’t know she had attracted sponsors.
MacEachern says she has had a “difficult time” at work since last year’s walk, adding that she didn’t believe the official reasons given for the refusal.
“I had to decide whether I was going to take care of myself and have financial security,” she said, “or take off the uniform and do the walk. I wasn’t asking for the world. It was honestly a devastating blow for me.”