Behaviourial Contrasts

Soldier who assaulted boys won't do time: War tour cited in soldier's assault trial

There's the sad story of a Canadian soldier found guilty of assaulting his six-month-old triplet sons because he just couldn't cope with the strain of looking after his children. His lawyer claims that he was, among other things, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was depressed. And he had an unhappy childhood; his father had abandoned his family. He was also possessed of a rather nasty temperament.

So why, one might venture to query, would any woman seek out such a man as a mate? His common-law partner had already given birth to a little boy, two years previously. And then, on his return from active duty in Afghanistan - a 3-1/2-month tour of duty back in 2006 - he found she was carrying triplets. Most inconsiderate of her, to be sure. Which sent him into a bit of a tizzy; he withdrew from society, played video games, stayed up all night.

He had joined the military in 2001. Deployed to Kandahar in 2006. And came back, claims his lawyer, a much different person. His job there was the loading of equipment onto military planes and trucks. A safe job, one could hazard to guess, one that kept him out of harm's way. But a job that, he said, frustrated him. He wanted to see some front-line action.

His frustration led to a number of fractious events with his superiors. His "explosive temper" was given free reign. "I wanted to get out there and do something. I knew many of the infantry ... I could see it in their eyes that they expected more from me. I felt helpless", he reported to the psychologist who had been tasked by the court to assess his condition.

So if this man suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome it wasn't as a result of the danger he found himself in, on the front lines of action. It was a result of frustration that he was unable to persuade his superiors that he was the stuff of action, that he should be deployed out in the field, facing danger. That's an odd one, isn't it?

What he did on the home front was to succumb to his frustration and anger by meting out gross capital punishment on his infant sons. They were discovered to be suffering from 19 broken bones among them, as a result of their father's brutality. This man admitted that he squeezed his tiny sons repeatedly "so as not to leave marks", and biting them on occasion.

Despite which his lawyer claimed that the man had no intention of inflicting pain on the babies. That he was amazed to discover the extent of their resulting injuries. The result of the trial was that the provincial court judge, calling the man's actions "horrible", felt he no longer posed a threat. He will remain free in the community, after having spent 9 months in custody.

He will be under a 24-hour daily curfew. required to attend therapy and counselling, banned from unsupervised contact with his children, or any other children under the age of 18. Whether he will be invited to remain in the military is an unknown question.

And then, to wash away the foul odour of this story is another in the same paper, same page:

Man sacrifices self to save his children

And this is a totally other story, an antidote, counter-balancing, if that's possible, the stench of the former. This second story relates to a young father of five children, Steve Whissell, who was attending a holiday parade with his family, not too far from Montreal, in the Laurentians. Mr. Whissell was seated on the grass waiting for the parade to begin, beside him his three-year-old twins, and his wife, Johanne Coursolle, holding their two-year-old daughter.

Above them, on top of a 35-metre hill was a car parked in a municipal lot cresting a winter toboggan run. The vehicle suddenly began to move downhill, picking up speed as it descended, heading directly for this family. Someone screamed "get out of the way!". Mr. Whissell pushed his three-year-old twins out of harm's way; his older set of twins were not in danger. The car rolled over him, striking his wife.

Attempts were made by bystanders to lift the car off Mr. Whissell. He and his wife were taken to hospital, where she is a few days from release, and he will never come home again, the day before he turned 34.

"His children and his wife were his life", his father-in-law said. Explaining that it was his son-in-law's intention to become a mechanic and find a good job. "He was devoted, a solid, good guy. It's all so senseless. The kids are still trying to understand why their dad is not coming home."

Like the abusive father whose name was not divulged to the media to protect his children, Mr. Whissell's life revolved around his children, but in an entirely different way. One was abusive and resentful, the other loving and protective.

The abusive father who might have killed his children had there not been timely intervention, will survive this little interruption in the patterns of his days, to carry on with his life, presumably without close contact with his children in any near future. And it's debatable whether they may ever, as they grow, consider this man to be a father in its defined terms.

The father who protected and loved and valued his children gave no thought to his own safety when they were threatened. His time on earth expired. His legacy through his children will live on.