Fake soldier revealed at Ottawa ceremony

Veterans are expressing outrage Thursday after a man dressed as a decorated soldier at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Tuesday has been revealed as a phoney.

A man calling himself Franck Gervais was interviewed by the CBC wearing an incorrect uniform and medals he hadn’t earned. That’s when real soldiers and vets figured out he was a fake.

On Tuesday, Franck Gervias showed up at the National War Memorial Remembrance Day ceremony claiming to be a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment. He was even interviewed by the CBC. Soon after it aired people started phoning in with concerns about his legitimacy.

“I think it’s horrible.” said 93-year old Jack McFarland, a Second World War veteran. He took part in the battle of Dieppe where Canada lost 907 soldiers, 586 were injured and almost two thousand captured. McFarland was one of them. He was a prisoner of war for three years. He earned all of the medals on his chest. When he heard about Franck Gervais impersonating a decorated soldier he was disgusted: “I wear a poppy seven days a week all year long to honour 197 fellas, good Canadians that were killed in three hours that we were in combat in Dieppe. And then to have somebody try to copy that when they didn’t do anything.”

The Department of National Defence says it has no indication that Franck Gervais is a member of the military, saying: “Such activities are a disservice to the proud men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, who earn the right to wear their uniforms for the hard work and sacrifice made for our country.”

The police are now investigating. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, it is illegal to impersonate a Canadian Armed Forces member. If convicted, it can lead to six months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. But intelligence experts say that could be the least of Gervias worries.

John Thompson, intelligence expert: “He’s committed fraud for a start, he’s certainly liable for all sorts of civil prosecution and frankly, if he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time at night there will probably be a few ex-soldiers who would like to make their personal feelings known.”

Jack McFarland has the last word: “I am disgusted and I hope he doesn’t get away with it.”