Wainwright soldier remembered as dedicated brother, friend at funeral

EDMONTON — Family, friends and Armed Forces members filled the pews of an Edmonton funeral home on Sunday as one of the soldiers killed in the devastating Canadian Forces Base Wainwright fire was laid to rest. Morgan Wong’s casket was carried in by pallbearers, draped in a Canadian flag that was then carefully folded and presented to one of Wong’s loved ones. In a eulogy, Wong’s sister Megan remembered her brother as a loyal friend and problem-solver who dedicated himself to serving his community and country.

“Long before he was the fearless soldier many of you came to know, he was one of the bravest and funniest people I have ever met,” she said. The 26-year-old reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, serving with the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, was one of four killed when a fast-moving fire overwhelmed soldiers during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton, from the Loyal Edmonton Regiment based at Edmonton, serving with 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is shown in an undated handout photo.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – Canadian Armed Forces Buddhist practitioners sang and prayed for Wong, whose photo sat on an altar alongside bowls of white rice and plates of oranges and apples. Those gathered at the funeral heard how the soldier joined the Armed Forces at 17, advanced through the military ranks and volunteered in 2024 to be deployed to Latvia. There, he would ultimately meet his wife.

“They were married last December,” Wong’s sister said. “He was so excited to (build) an incredible life and family with her.” After Wong returned from Latvia, he trained and mentored new recruits and was preparing for a second deployment abroad when he was killed in the fire at Wainwright. Bryn Wright, the commanding officer of Wong’s regiment, said Wong quit a civilian job earlier this year to be an instructor for the Armed Forces.

“Dedicated to service, reliable, willing to put the regiment ahead of himself. Wright said the soldier’s cap badge and regimental coin, sometimes called a challenge coin, will be returned to his family. “Soldiers often challenge one another by producing their coin, and if the other soldier doesn’t have theirs, they lose.