309:, that the military knew that Gunther's killing was intentional but continued to avoid correcting their initial position to both the public and even to Gunther's family. The soldiers stated that it was an anti-tank rocket that had killed Gunther, implying it had not been a simple misfortune, but a deliberately aimed warhead that killed the Corporal driving a marked UN Peacekeeping vehicle.
288:
minister. The military's initial position was that
Gunther was likely killed unintentionally by shrapnel from a distant mortar and that, as a new peacekeeper, he may have exposed himself by being outside the protection of his vehicle. The military's press release that evening read, "Corporal Daniel Gunther ... was killed today when a
237:
Critics of the military believed the
Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces attempted to minimize the negative impacts on public opinion in order to avoid being forced to scale back its participation in increasingly violent peacekeeping missions. Canadian historian, and former head of the
563:
Most of more than 100 deaths in the period were played down. Even the circumstances of some deaths was fudged. For example, when Cpl. Daniel
Gunther was killed in the former Yugoslavia in 1993, the army said he was hit by random shrapnel. Much later it was reported that he was deliberately targeted
343:
Gunther belonged to a military family. His father Peter
Gunther was a Captain (who eventually spent 37 years in the military) and his maternal grandfather retired as a Sergeant. Daniel Gunther was born in Germany while his father was assigned to a military base there. In 1987, the year after he and
298:
The conclusion of the incident report was justified by a unanimous, but classified, conclusions of an internal board of inquiry that were not made public until after it became a controversy. The official military account wasn't publicly challenged until
December 1993, six months after the incident
214:
government to call a public inquiry in 1994. The resulting investigation affected all levels of the
Department of National Defence. The public also responded to surveys released in 1993 also showed that soldiers were resistant to openly homosexual soldiers and that 26.5 per cent of female personnel
205:
1993 was a dark year for
Canadian Forces. The public image of Canada's armed forces took a "severe beating" in 1993. Canadian soldiers committed abusive behaviour, including racism, torture and murder in Somalia in March 1993 (two months prior to Gunther's killing in Bosnia). The Canadian political
351:
In addition to the perceived lengthy cover-up of the real nature of
Gunther's killing, some slights by the military contributed to Gunther's parents criticizing the military publicly. In a period of time when Internet usage was somewhat novel, the family created webpages to honour and advocate for
257:
At 12:40, just 40 minutes after a ceasefire was supposed to start at noon, Gunther stood up to look out the front of his APC, with his captain and sergeant at the back. The sun was directly overhead as he surveyed the land through binoculars. He saw a line of tracer fire arcing across the sky and
218:
The scandals contributed to increased debate about Canada's management of its armed forces, public accountability and participation in active war zones such as Bosnia. A parliamentary committee examined and wrote a report on the issue of peacekeeping missions in increasingly dangerous conflicts.
266:
A ceasefire between the
Serbian, Croatian and Muslim forces was agreed upon to start at noon on June 18. The killing of Gunther occurred 40 minutes after the ceasefire began. The Bosnian army claimed he was killed by a Serb mortar round. The United Nations would not comment on the details of the
355:
Since he had a one-year-old child, Gunther tried to amend his armed forces supplementary insurance policy from $ 100,000 to $ 250,000 prior to his departure to Bosnia. His unit, anxious to get him overseas immediately, told him he could do that once he got to Bosnia. He was killed days after he
287:
Immediately following his death, an incident report stating that he was the victim of a "deliberate attack by an anti-tank rocket" was sent to the
National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa. The report was received within six hours of the incident and was in a daily briefing package for the deputy
963:
Series consists of documents relating to leadership in the Canadian Forces, and regarding the Board of Inquiry into command control and leadership of CANBAT 2 in Bosnia, the Haiti Board of Inquiry into leadership relationships with the Military Police and events surrounding the mistreatment of
770:, 40 minutes after the noon cease-fire was supposed to silence guns across Bosnia. Cpl. Daniel Gunther, 24, of Val-Belair, Que., died in Buci, about 12 miles northwest of the Bosnian capital in an area of high Muslim-Croat tension. U.N. officials said it was unclear who was responsible.
347:
In April 1993, Daniel was placed on standby for duty in Bosnia. In May, he was assigned to Bosnia selected as an emergency reinforcement to replace an injured soldier in Bosnia, leaving his wife Marie-Josée Vincent and his ten-month-old son Alexandre in Quebec.
334:
After the hostile nature of Gunther's killing became a controversy, some questioned whether Kim Campbell's campaign was a factor in downplaying the facts about his death. It was later demonstrated that she was not informed about the hostile nature of his death.
356:
arrived and before he could make the necessary changes to his policy. The army commander, Lieutenant-General Baril, later admitted that Gunther had been given insufficient time to prepare for his tour but, without a signature, the policy stood at $ 100,000.
765:
Fighting threatens cease fire SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Skirmishes between Muslims and Croats threatened a new cease-fire Friday, but fighting eased in Serb-dominated regions. A Canadian U.N. peacekeeper was killed in fighting near
229:
Media relations was a challenge for the Canadian Forces in this decade due to a number of military scandals, the growing complexity of their missions, and the newer model of in-the-field broadcast journalism (sometimes referred to as the
192:
Gunther was the third Canadian fatality in the Yugoslavia peacekeeping mission, and also the only Canadian soldier killed by hostile fire for the decade between 1993 and 2004 when Corporal Jamie Murphy was killed in
258:
when he turned to call out his report, a shot sounded from a nearby building. An anti-tank rocket, most probably an 82-millimeter Recoilless rifle, burst through Daniel's chest, and his head was torn from his body.
371:, an award given to families of all service personnel killed overseas, the military sent it to Gunther's mother by mail and it was tarnished, not new. When Gunther's mother went to the following year's
842:"In the line of fire:Corporal Daniel Gunther was 24 when he was killed in Bosnia. Why did it take so long for the truth about his death to come out? An investigation into military coverage"
1009:
564:
by an anti- tank rocket. "There was a generalized policy on the part of (defence headquarters) not to publicize these things and not to make a big thing of it," Granatstein said
1029:
692:
185:, Canada's minister of national defence and (eventually successful) candidate for prime minister, about the country's involvement in increasingly violent peacekeeping missions
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killing or which side was responsible, which led to questions whether they were limiting public comments in order to avoid disrupting negotiations between the parties.
295:
Because of the inaccurate publicity, some news publications were led to speculate whether the M113 APC was obsolete and unsafe for use in peacekeeping missions.
722:
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bomb fell close to his vehicle." A public-affairs officer also added, "Corporal Gunther was probably halfway out of his vehicle when he was hit by shrapnel."
226:. Gunther's death occurred two days after Mulroney's last appearance in the House of Commons and seven days prior to Campbell's first day as Prime Minister.
415:
Canadian Forces documents about circumstances surrounding his death are preserved in the National Defence Headquarters Directorate of History and Heritage.
284:
The manner of his killing was inaccurately reported by the military to the public and Gunther's family which eventually caused a controversy in Canada.
238:
Canadian War Museum, Jack Granatstein has cited Gunther's death as an example of a general policy by defense headquarters to limit publicizing details.
360:
222:
Canada's role and management of peacekeeping units was an active topic for defence minister Kim Campbell who was competing to replace Prime Minister
270:
Canadian officials also did not identify which group was responsible for the killing. Eventually, the rocket was attributed to Muslim militiamen.
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Some years later, the military announced that Gunther's mother would be the Memorial Cross Mother who would lay flowers at the National
700:
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403:
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during the Peacekeeping Day Ceremony on October 22, 2000. The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Maurice Baril, also presented the
20:
1004:
878:
817:
475:
441:
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804:
The Chatter Box: An Insider's Account of the Irrelevance of Parliament in the Making of Canadian Foreign and Defence Policy
234:) that required more media relations on the ground and could have a rapid impact on news and politics in the home country.
546:
331:
subsequently published a number of critical articles about the issue in the magazine and in books co-authored by Taylor.
603:
305:
279:
673:
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250:(APC) in Buci, a village with high tension between Muslims and Croats that was about 20 kilometres northwest of
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to lay a bouquet of flowers in her son's honour, she was denied access until after the ceremony had ended.
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The Ministry of National Defence attributed the error to initial information provided from the war zone.
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his parents moved back to Montreal in the suburb of Brossard, Daniel Gunther enlisted in the army.
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His death while on the UN mission in Bosnia led to multiple discussions both in Canada and abroad:
164:
964:
Haitian detainees, and the circumstances surrounding the death of Corporal Daniel Gunther in 1993.
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and was the source of a controversy about the lack of public transparency by the Canadian Forces.
809:
491:
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and two months after Kim Campbell's landslide election-loss. Two soldiers anonymously notified
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Turning around a supertanker: Media-military relations in Canada in the CNN age
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Hurley, Daniel Terrance (2000). "4 - A changing culture or window dressing?".
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About a month after being assigned to Bosnia, Gunther was driving a UN-marked
159:(January 13, 1969 – June 18, 1993) was a Canadian soldier serving with the
767:
521:
280:
Esprit de Corps (magazine) § 1993 cover up of Daniel Gunther's Death
251:
723:"CLASHES BETWEEN CROATS AND MUSLIMS THREATEN NEW CEASE-FIRE IN BOSNIA"
526:(Thesis). School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University
69:
784:
Canada at War and Peace: A Millennium of Military Heritage, Volume 3
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caused concern about a ceasefire between Croatian and Muslim forces
921:"Backgrounder: Mrs Dominique Leiba-Gunther Memorial Cross Mother"
578:"Remembrance Day made more human by recent deaths in Afghanistan"
434:
Tarnished brass: crime and corruption in the Canadian military
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contributed to a series of debates by parliamentarians and
873:. Ottawa: Esprit de Corps Publications. pp. 237–238.
841:
671:
Bishop-Stall, Shaughnessy (November 1999). "Remembrance".
468:
Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 1993
303:, iconoclastic publisher of military watchdog magazine
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to bring the soldiers' accounts into the public eye.
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United Nations Protection Force Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR)
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103:
95:
83:
58:
35:
28:
801:
925:National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
492:"The fog of war: Casualties of friendly fire"
16:Canadian soldier killed in Bosnia (1969–1993)
8:
1010:Canadian military personnel killed in action
980:Daniel Gunther Canadian Virtual War Memorial
470:. University of Toronto Press. p. 128.
1030:United Nations personnel in the Bosnian War
871:Tested Mettle: Canada's Peacekeepers At War
461:
459:
457:
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390:to his widow, son, father and grandfather.
1015:Deaths by person in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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833:
831:
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786:. Esprit de Corps Books. pp. 155–158.
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634:Worthington, Peter (November 17, 1993).
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953:. Canadian Archival Information Network
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19:For the American endocrinologist, see
393:Gunther was posthumously awarded the
7:
496:Quick Facts - Indepth: Friendly Fire
432:Taylor, Scott; Nolan, Brian (1997).
947:"Leadership in the Canadian Forces"
896:"Tarnished Cross: Insult to Injury"
498:. CBC News Online. October 22, 2003
388:Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
367:Instead of providing in person the
869:Brian Nolan; Scott Taylor (1998).
697:Loyal Edmonton Regiment War Museum
14:
755:. Associated Press. June 20, 1993
729:. Associated Press. June 19, 1993
436:. Seal Books. pp. 237–238.
21:Daniel Gunther (endocrinologist)
610:. Canadian Press. June 19, 1993
576:Ward, John (November 8, 2003).
545:Ward, John (10 November 2003).
749:"Fighting threatens ceasefire"
248:M113 armored personnel carrier
1:
840:Cain, Patrick (Summer 1996).
88:Parc Commeratif La Souvenance
1020:Deaths by projectile weapons
846:Ryerson Review of Journalism
604:"Father killed in ceasefire"
466:Leyton-Brown, David (1999).
215:reported sexual harassment.
1046:
1025:People from Soest, Germany
404:Shake Hands with the Devil
277:
18:
636:"Probing those UN deaths"
800:Rempel, Roy (Jan 2003).
582:Afghanistan News Centre
401:'s award-winning novel
312:Taylor fed the tips to
1005:Canadian Army soldiers
782:Taylor, Scott (1999).
395:Dag Hammarskjöld Medal
364:
397:and was mentioned in
384:Peacekeeping Monument
362:
104:Years of service
352:their son's memory.
274:Cover-up controversy
210:eventually lead the
808:. Dundurn. p.
753:Del Rio News Herald
206:issue known as the
165:UN Protection Force
141:Marie-Josée Vincent
927:. October 20, 2000
900:CanadianContent.ca
365:
262:Ceasefire concerns
254:on June 18, 1993.
951:ArchivesCanada.ca
608:Medicine Hat News
551:Lethbridge Herald
314:Peter Worthington
161:Royal 22 RĂ©giment
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124:Royal 22 RĂ©giment
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130:Battles/wars
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64:(1993-06-18)
53:West Germany
1000:1993 deaths
995:1969 births
640:Toronto Sun
377:Quebec City
319:Toronto Sun
195:Afghanistan
989:Categories
880:1895896088
819:1550024256
477:0802047017
443:0770427677
419:References
278:See also:
96:Allegiance
42:1969-01-13
197:in 2004.
155:Corporal
138:Spouse(s)
107:1987–1993
768:Sarajevo
681:(9): 40.
411:Archives
252:Sarajevo
146:Children
115:Corporal
957:June 3,
851:June 4,
759:June 3,
733:June 4,
707:June 4,
693:"Risks"
614:June 4,
588:June 3,
557:30 June
530:30 June
502:June 4,
316:of the
232:CNN Era
201:Context
76:†
931:1 July
905:1 July
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645:1 July
474:
440:
290:mortar
169:Bosnia
99:Canada
84:Buried
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70:Bosnia
68:Bicu,
49:Soest
959:2014
933:2014
907:2014
875:ISBN
853:2014
814:ISBN
761:2014
735:2014
709:2014
647:2014
616:2014
590:2014
559:2014
532:2014
504:2014
472:ISBN
438:ISBN
120:Unit
112:Rank
59:Died
36:Born
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167:in
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