# 29 Oct 11:  CPL Justin Matthew Stark, 1989-2011, R.I.P.



## acronym

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/616855--canadian-forces-investigating-armoury-death


Canadian Forces investigating armoury death 


The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) is investigating the death of a reserve soldier at the John W. Foote VC Armouries on James Street North. 

Captain Tim Fletcher, the public affairs officer for the 31 Canadian Brigade Group, would only confirm that a soldier had died inside the armoury Saturday, but said further details could not be released. 

The incident did not pose a concern for further danger to the public, he said. 

Next of kin are being notified. 

Hamilton police were also called in with the CFNIS Saturday and released the scene later in the afternoon, he said. 

Hamilton police referred questions to the CFNIS. 

The Hamilton Spectator


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## jollyjacktar

:yellow:  RIP troop.


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## OldSolduer

OMG that's the third in two days........

RIP soldier


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## jollyjacktar

As shit news comes in three's I hope this is it.


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## R933ex

RIP


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## OldSolduer

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> As crap news comes in three's I hope this is it.



Old saying - bad things come in threes.....


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## Scoobs

I can't agree more with the comments.  Please let this be the last for this week.  RIP troop.


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## Armymedic

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> Old saying - bad things come in threes.....



Worse than odd when it proves to be true.


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## gun runner

Rest in peace soldier.    :yellow:


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## REDinstaller

RIP


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## FlyingDutchman

My thoughts and condolences to his family and friends.  I hope the investigation is thourough and results in what ever happened not happening again.


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## SoldierInAYear

RIP.


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## CANADIAN F0RCES

This is at my armories.  :-[
We got back from a weekend exercise and were informed of what had happened. No information was given to us other than what was stated above. Such a horrible thing to happen, and not knowing if you know the soldier or not is a messed up feeling. My most sincere condolences go out to the members family as I have just lost my mother this summer while on course and I pray the family stays strong! I will have a special prayer for this member at our Remembrance Day parade.


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## gt102

RIP


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## acronym

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary-print.aspx?n=Justin-Stark&lc=3122&pid=154429131&mid=4870623


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## OldSolduer

RIP Cpl Stark.    

What happened? Damn - why?

Anyone who knows the family please pass on our condolences.....and we'll be there for them.


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## krustyrl

RIP Troop.    condolences to the family and all who knew him. He will not be forgotten......

       :yellow:    :remembrance:


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## Michael OLeary

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> What happened? Damn - why?



Details have not been released by the family or by DND at this time. Those who may know details should withhold that information until it is officially released.


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## dapaterson

A profile of Cpl Stark's return from Afghanistan was published in the Dunnville Chronicle ten months ago.

http://www.dunnvillechronicle.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2907993&archive=true


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## Jarnhamar

> Regular and reserve soldiers carry weapons off the amouries’ premises depending on the training, which is the case for battle fitness tests, Hatfield said. Trained regimental quartermasters and supply technicians supervise the storage of training weapons, which are held and accounted for inside the armouries, he said.
> 
> “The Canadian Forces have strict guidelines regarding weapon security,” Hatfield said. “I can tell you that the Canadian Forces’ accountability for their weapons is very high.”



Sorry this sound like damage control.



Everyone liked Stark, Hope a lot of people managed to go to his funeral today.


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## MedCorps

Grimaldus, 

Where is the quote from? 

MC


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## dapaterson

MedCorps said:
			
		

> Grimaldus,
> 
> Where is the quote from?
> 
> MC



Syndicated in a number of Sun Media papers, for example,

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/616855--canadian-forces-investigating-armoury-death


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## Haggis

Grimaldus said:
			
		

> Sorry this sound like damage control.



Actually it sounds more like a proper response to a reporter's question like "Do our reservists get to take their rifles home like the Swiss?"

(I was asked that during an Open House a few years ago by a reporter from an Ottawa newspaper)


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## Wookilar

RIP Cpl Stark  :brit poppy:

Nice to see the family ask for donations in memory go to Soldier On and Wounded Warriors. Kudos to them for doing so.

Wook


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## The Bread Guy

Just a friendly warning against speculation.  

Remember, this is a public forum that's open to, among others, media and family/friends of the late Corporal Stark.

*Milnet.ca Staff*


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## toughenough

It doesn't look like any media was present, but we had a good send off for Stark on Saturday.


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## Steel Badger

The express request of the family was that the media not be allowed at the funeral. And suprisingly enough, they were courteous enough to stay away.


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## dapaterson

And, from the "Accountants aren't happy unless everything balances to the penny" department,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/dead-soldier-gets-1-cent-cheque-from-federal-government-1.2559809


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## Bruce Monkhouse

Is anyone else starting to think this is all part of an inside job to discredit the Govt. and/or the CF?


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## PuckChaser

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> Is anyone else starting to think this is all part of an inside job to discredit the Govt. and/or the CF?



No no, its only an evil conspiracy when the Conservatives can be blamed.


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## Michael OLeary

It's as likely to be the result of some past complaint where someone felt they should get a cheque for some remainder of pennies in an account, and a rule was changed that any remaining amount would thereafter be issued by cheque.


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## toughenough

Hate to see his mom go through any more then she already has. RIP Justin.



LINK

A Hamilton mother whose son killed himself after serving in Afghanistan was devastated when she received a federal government cheque cut for him in the amount of one cent.

"It just tore her heart out," said Keven Ellis, speaking on behalf of Wayne and Denise Stark, whose son Justin died Oct. 29, 2011 at the John W. Foote VC Armoury on James Street North. "It was just horrible."

But rather than wallow in pain after receiving the cheque last Friday, the couple set out to make sure it does not happen to other families.

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek New Democrat MP Wayne Marston — who called it "inexcusable" — raised the issue in the House of Commons Tuesday and Defence Minister Rob Nicholson agreed, calling it "absolutely ridiculous."

The minister pledged to take "immediate steps" to ensure "this never happens again," and he also offered the Stark family an apology.

"I extend the apologies of everyone in the government to his mother and we thank this individual for the service that he gave his country," Nicholson told MPs.

Justin Stark was a corporal in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders when he killed himself in his barracks on a Saturday evening. He was 22.

He served in Afghanistan for seven months, starting in May 2010, after being associated with the military since 2006. His duties included patrols around Kandahar, where Canadians had their main base.

His death was the subject of several tribunals to determine whether it was related to his tour of duty, but Marston understood it was finally ruled not work related.

The Stark family has no doubts about what caused their son's death and remains emotionally shattered by the loss of Justin, Ellis said. He said Denise, a local hospital nurse, visits her son's grave every single day.

"They don't talk about it much, but the thought is it was PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)," said Ellis, who got to know the family after his motorcycle group, the North Wall Riders Association, attended Justin's funeral in November 2011.

"He did his tour. He came home and, shortly after that, he took his own life."

The cheque was sent from Public Works and was marked as "CF Release Pay." CF stands for Canadian Forces.

The family was too distraught to talk to media, but Stark did comment on a Facebook page set up in her son's memory. She also posted a picture of the cheque.

"Don't want to sound ungrateful BUT … was it really necessary to send me this? (sic)" she wrote. "I could have done without more agony."

Ellis said Denise was moved by the minister's remarks and hopes it will lead to changes.

"She was very pleased that the minister took that stance," said Ellis, whose group specializes in honouring veterans and hosts an annual Christmas Eve memorial at Woodland Cemetery in Burlington.

"He immediately addressed it and said this is wrong," he said. "What more can you ask for and that's all Denise wants. She wants to make sure another family doesn't go through this."

Marston was also pleased with the minister's remarks. He did not want to assign blame and also wanted to make sure measures are put in place to ensure this does not happen to any other military family.

"It's not about a blame game here," Marston said. "If it was a computer error, let's find it and make sure it doesn't happen again."


dnolan@thespec.com

905-526-3351 | @dandundas


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## PMedMoe

Already posted here.


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## The Bread Guy

Bumped with the latest ...


> Almost five years after Cpl. Justin Stark killed himself in the Hamilton armouries, the federal government has attributed his death to his military service and will posthumously honour the Argyll reservist.
> 
> ( ... )
> 
> Veteran's Affairs Canada has not used the term post traumatic disorder, but it has now determined Stark's death was "related to his military service," Major Holly-Anne Brown told CBC News.
> 
> "Consequently, his name will be recorded in the Book of Remembrance and his family will receive the various memorials to which they are entitled in such cases, including the Memorial Cross and a posthumous award to Cpl. Stark of the Sacrifice Medal," Brown said ...


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## jollyjacktar

Shared under the fair dealings provisions of the copyright act.



> [size=14pt]Mother who received one cent after son’s suicide getting the Silver Cross[/size]
> 
> THE CANADIAN PRESS
> Published September 14, 2016 - 5:11pm
> Last Updated September 14, 2016 - 5:38pm
> 
> 
> TORONTO — The mother of a Canadian soldier who killed himself after serving in Afghanistan will finally be honoured with a Memorial Cross this weekend, ending a long battle to have the military recognize his death as service related.
> 
> In an interview ahead of the ceremony, Denise Stark said she was both stunned and overjoyed when told the family’s fight over the death of her son, Cpl. Justin Stark, was over.
> 
> “I just sat there and cried — tears of joy and what not, a whole mix of emotions,” Stark said of the call that came earlier this year. “The next day, I went down to the cemetery, so I could tell Justin the good news.”
> 
> Stark, 22, a reservist with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, served a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan. In October 2011, 10 months after his return to Canada, he killed himself at the John Weir Foote Armouries in Hamilton.
> 
> A board of inquiry concluded more than two years ago that his tour in Afghanistan did not cause post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD — which contributed to his suicide and his mother and family would not be honoured with the Memorial Cross — frequently called the Silver Cross.
> 
> Stark said she had no doubt her son’s suicide was related to his military deployment, although he didn’t talk much about what was bothering him. He was, she said, a “suck it up, be strong, carry on” type of person.
> 
> “Justin had never had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress, was never being treated, but we saw the changes over time that were happening,” Stark said.
> 
> The government had already sparked outrage after it sent Stark a cheque for one cent in “release pay” for her dead son in February 2014 — prompting then-defence minister Rob Nicholson to apologize for what he called an “insensitive bureaucratic screw-up.”
> 
> The board’s finding, which devastated the family, spawned a protest petition to then-prime minister Stephen Harper and helped fuel criticism of how his Conservative government was treating veterans.
> 
> Nicholson promised to have the board of inquiry’s findings reviewed, resulting in a new decision from the Department of National Defence to honour the family as it does families of other members of the Armed Forces killed in the line of duty.
> 
> The Defence Department did not explain the about-face, saying only that the government had now determined Stark’s death was related to his military service.
> 
> “His name will be recorded in the Book of Remembrance and his family will receive the various memorials to which they are entitled,” said department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier. “We look forward to honouring Cpl. Justin Stark’s memory the right way, and invite the general public to commemorate this very important event.”
> 
> The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place Saturday in Hamilton. Members of Stark’s regiment will parade from the armoury to the downtown church where his funeral was held. Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell will present the Memorial Cross and Sacrifice Medal to the family, her spokesman confirmed.
> 
> While Stark and her husband, Wayne, stressed there was no financial gain in the service-related designation, the welcome recognition was long overdue, she said.
> 
> “I feel some sense of peace as the right decision has been made,” Stark said. “I wouldn’t call it closure, as closure for me will be the day I am reunited with my son, gone too soon.”


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## mariomike

See also,



			
				dapaterson said:
			
		

> And, from the "Accountants aren't happy unless everything balances to the penny" department,
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/dead-soldier-gets-1-cent-cheque-from-federal-government-1.2559809



and discussion that follows...
http://milnet.ca/forums/threads/103164/post-1294541.html#msg1294541

“His name will be recorded in the Book of Remembrance and his family will receive the various memorials to which they are entitled,” said department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier. “We look forward to honouring Cpl. Justin Stark’s memory the right way, and invite the general public to commemorate this very important event.”

Different institutions handle it different ways,

Keep suicide cops off memorial wall, widow of murdered officer says 
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/13/keep-suicide-cops-off-memorial-wall-widows-of-murdered-police-say
Threaten to remove names if added

TORONTO - Several angry widows of Toronto Police officers killed in the line of duty are threatening to remove the names of their husbands from the memorial wall if a human rights tribunal orders the addition of those who have committed suicide.


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## The Bread Guy

This just out from the info-machine ...


> The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) paraded to Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario today to honour the memory of one of their own, Corporal Justin Stark.
> 
> Corporal Stark passed away on October 29, 2011. Her Honour, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario presented members of his family with the Sacrifice Medal and the Memorial Cross at a memorial service. The Sacrifice Medal is a tangible and lasting form of recognition for the sacrifices made by members of the Canadian Armed Forces killed or wounded in the line of duty. The Memorial Cross is a gift from Canada, issued as a memento of personal loss on the part of the family of a deceased military member.
> 
> *Quotes*
> 
> “My thoughts are with the Stark family today as we remember Corporal Justin Stark. His loss is a reminder that we can always do better. The Canadian Armed Forces strive to continually improve our preventative measures and care for our members for not only their benefit, but their families as well.”
> 
> Brigadier-General Stephen Cadden, Commander, 4th Canadian Division
> 
> “Corporal Justin Stark was a proud member of our Argyll family. We are very pleased to be able to honour him in this way, which we hope provides both closure and support for the Stark family.”
> 
> Lieutenant-Colonel Peter St. Denis, Commanding Officer, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s)
> 
> *Quick Facts*
> 
> The Canadian Army is committed to honouring and recognizing the valued contribution of its soldiers.
> 
> The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), Corporal Stark’s regiment, are pleased to be able to honour him at this memorial service.
> 
> To receive a medal is a mark of honour and pride; however, the Sacrifice Medal and the Memorial Cross are awarded under sombre and grave circumstances. Members of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s) share their thoughts and prayers with the Stark family and honour the memory of Corporal Stark and his sacrifice.
> 
> The Canadian Army will continue to support the Stark family as they continue their healing process ...


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