Daniel Gunther
Encyclopedia
Cpl Daniel Gunther was a Canadian serving with the Royal 22e Régiment
in Bosnia
, attached to the UN Protection Force.
He was killed in 1993, but reports about his death varied, causing controversy. The army originally stated that he had been hit by a mortar
while exiting his M113
, but Peter Worthington
of the Toronto Sun
later brought the accounts of soldiers into the public eye, stating 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.
He was posthumously awarded the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
, and was mentioned in Roméo Dallaire
's award-winning novel Shake Hands with the Devil
.
Canada didn't lose another soldier to hostile fire after Gunther's 1993 death until Cpl Jamie Murphy
was killed in Afghanistan
in 2004.
Royal 22e Régiment
The Royal 22nd Regiment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army...
in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, attached to the UN Protection Force.
He was killed in 1993, but reports about his death varied, causing controversy. The army originally stated that he had been hit by a mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
while exiting his M113
M113 armored personnel carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...
, but Peter Worthington
Peter Worthington
Peter Worthington is a Canadian journalist. A foreign correspondent with the Toronto Telegram newspaper from 1956, Worthington was an eyewitness to the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963, and can be seen in photographs of the event. He remained with the Telegram until it folded in 1971...
of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
later brought the accounts of soldiers into the public eye, stating that it was an anti-tank rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
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.
He was posthumously awarded the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal is a campaign medal created in 1988 to recognize the contributions of all Canadian Peacekeepers towards the ultimate goal of peace, after the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations was awarded that year's Nobel Peace Prize.-History:In 1988, the...
, and was mentioned in Roméo Dallaire
Roméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
's award-winning novel Shake Hands with the Devil
Shake Hands with the Devil (book)
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda is a book by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire of the Canadian Forces, with help from Major Brent Beardsley...
.
Canada didn't lose another soldier to hostile fire after Gunther's 1993 death until Cpl Jamie Murphy
Jamie Murphy (soldier)
Jamie Brendan Murphy was a corporal of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group . While serving with that unit's 3rd Battalion as part of Operation Athena, he was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan by a suicide bomber.Murphy had been serving with the military since the age of 19...
was killed in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2004.