What low lives live in this country.
Decorated soldier stunned by nasty bar beating
Updated Tue. Mar. 13 2007 12:49 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A recently decorated Canadian soldier honoured for his military valour in Afghanistan is still puzzled about why he was jumped from behind and beaten in his hometown bar this past weekend.
Master Cpl. Collin Fitzgerald, who was recognized by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on Feb. 19 for braving enemy fire in Afghanistan, had his foot broken in three places and needed 10 stitches to close a cut above his right eye.
Fitzgerald, 27, also suffered a broken nose and two black eyes in the Friday night attack in his hometown of Morrisburg, Ont., about one hour south of Ottawa.
Fitzgerald is well known in his small town. He says he'd been in the bar only about 20 minutes, visiting with childhood friends, when he was suddenly struck from behind. Four men jumped him and began beating on him.
"They were saying 'What kind of hero are you now?'," Fitzgerald's mother Arlene told CTV News.
Bystanders pulled the attackers off Fitzgerald and his friends drove him to hospital.
Ontario Provincial Police later arrested an unidentified 21-year-old Morrisburg man and charged him with aggravated assault.
Const. Paul Murphy said more charges are expected to be laid against the man. Police also expect to lay charges against several other suspects, he said.
Fitzgerald says he still has no idea why he was attacked. He served eight months in Afghanistan and is a weapons instructor at CFB Trenton.
He was one of the first recipients of the Canadian Medal of Military Valour, "for outstanding selfless and valiant actions" carried out on May 24, 2006, during an enemy ambush "involving intense, accurate enemy fire."
According to the military, Fitzgerald "repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire by entering and re-entering a burning platoon vehicle and successfully driving it off the roadway, permitting the remaining vehicles trapped in the enemy zone to break free."
Arlene Fitzgerald is also flabbergasted that her son was able to come home in one piece from Afghanistan, but was beaten up in his own home town.
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