I sent the following letter to the editor of the CBC website.
"I have some comments regarding a story published on your site a few hours ago.
It is unfortunate, hearing of Corporal Boneca's death, to read that he may have been becoming bitter towards the military or towards his operational deployment. A few things, however, need to be made clear.
Cpl. Boneca was a reservist. As reservists, we are not subject to mobilization short of a state of emergency. We can volunteer for overseas deployments - as Cpl. boneca had twice done - however your story conveys and impression that he may have been there against his will, which is clearly not the case. A reservists wishing to go overseas with a contingent must go through rigorous pre-deployment training, and the number of reservists competing for the limited number of spots is such that only a switched on soldier will get to go. Cpl. Boneca can only have wanted the deployment, to have made it through the training ahead of other qualified candidates.
Cpl. Boneca's death is a tragedy, and one that will resound through both his hometown and the Canadian Forces, but please be vigilant in reporting on it, such that no false impression is conveyed about the Forces, or particularly those of us serving in its reserve component.
At this point I would suggest it may be unwise to speculate about his attitudes towards his employment in his last days, as he is tragically no longer able to answer for himself.
Respectfully,
Cpl. _________, Canadian Forces.