Cpl. Matthew Wilcox, a Canadian soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2007, may be sent to jail for his act of criminal negligence causing death and neglect of duty in the March 6, 2007, shooting of Cpl. Kevin Megeney. The 24 year old is facing a prison term of at least two years, a military judge said Tuesday. Despite the sentence, Matthew's attitude has not changed, as "he's dealing with it like a trained soldier," Col. Troy Sweet said. "He's proud to have served his country." Wilcox's court martial heard evidence that he and the 25-year-old Megeney, were playing a game of quick-draw when Wilcox shot his close friend in the chest. Wilcox told the court that his action was none other than self defense, as he claims that he heard somebody behind him cocking the hammer on a gun inside his tent at Kandahar Airfield. Without looking, Wilcox blindly fired his 9-millimetre Browning pistol towards the target, which turned out to be his close friend- Cpl. Kevin Megeney. Members of Megeney's family told Wilcox's sentencing hearing their lives have been shattered by his death. Dexter Megeney, Kevin's father, said that since losing his son and best friend, he has not been sleeping well, and takes up to 18 pills a day to control stress. Karen Megeney, Kevin's mother, said that she has also had trouble coping after Kevin was killed two years ago.
I think that this is a very sad article. Both Kevin and Matthew volunteered to fight for Canada in Afghanistan, where Canada was on a peacekeeping mission. They were proud Canadians and very loyal to their country. It makes me upset when I read an article like this. Matthew made a big mistake, and it ended up affecting him for the rest of his life- not only does he wake up every morning knowing that he killed somebody, but he also might have to serve two years in prison. Also, the Megeney family has been affected, as they have lost a son. Dealing with a terrible event like this can be tough at times, but I think that now it has happened, the families should remember Kevin for who he was and move on. A situation like this causes stress on both families, mostly on Matthew, who I hope will forget about the past and move on. One mistake shouldn't ruin a person's life; they can learn from it and take that knowledge into the future for later use.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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2 comments:
I find this story very devastating for the soldiers, families, and people following the war. This would be a huge blow towards the morale of the base and soldiers fighting the war in Afghanistan. Like Craig, I would like to forget about this incident, but I know that the families of these soldiers will never forget.
Craig, I strongly agree with the points you made about the mistakes he has made and the redemption he deserves. The only point that I am unsure of in this situation is that no one can be sure that he didn't do this act on purpose, or whether he felt threatened about the situation he was in. I believe that a game of quick draw in the army is fairly idiotic because of the lack of nerves that these soldiers retain being in the face of danger every day. Even though this is true, and he could have done this on purpose, i don't feel that a mistake such as this should cost this man his dignity and several years of his life wasted in jail. It must be devastating to know that one pull of a trigger could ruin an entire family’s life and you are left to blame. I feel very sympathetic for the situation this man is in, but on the other hand he did kill a man and he should spend time in jail, and serve his punishment.
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