In 1994 he joined the regular force and completed the twelve weeks of initial training in St. Jean Richelieu, Quebec, followed by combat engineer trades training in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
Additional Training
During his career, Rob’s military training included: advanced explosive disposal in Chilliwack, further combat engineer and combat section commander training, an advanced water supply course at CFB Gagetown and combat leadership in Wainwright.
Assignments
Personnel can express their interest in where they would like to serve, but positions in the military are ultimately assigned based on your leadership’s assessment of your abilities.
As a combat engineer, Rob was employed in many different roles: section member, section track driver, troop headquarters, Section 2 IC (second in command), water supply section commander, field section commander, reconnaissance commander and squadron operations.
Deployments
Rob completed four, seven-month tours of duty; Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997/1998 and 2000 and Afghanistan in 2002 and 2004/2005. He was granted one, three-week leave during each tour except for the first one in Afghanistan when leaves back to Canada were not granted, but four days of rest in Dubai were given.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina are located in
southeastern Europe. Rob served in multiple areas of the country; Coralici, Bihac, Zgon, Drvar and Bosanki Petrovac.
He arrived in Bosnia by ground transportation after flying to Zagreb, Croatia from Edmonton. As a part of this security force, Rob’s duties included: de-mining and removing booby traps from essential infrastructure and sensitive areas and monitoring and enforcing fair and free elections.
They set up camp with modular green army tents and weather havens inside an old carpet factory.
Phone calls were the main form of communication, as the Internet was not established there at that time. They had access to phone lines for fifteen-minute calls home.
Zgon | 2000 | Peace Keeping/Peace Support NATO Mission | Operation Palladium
Every soldier remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. Rob was stationed in Edmonton and on that fateful day, his regiment was conducting morning physical training when the attacks happened. Upon returning from their morning run, they saw the news coverage on the television. Shortly after, a lockdown and restricted access to the base were implemented, and briefings began.
Rob was deployed as a combat engineer and departed from Edmonton to Ramstein, Germany then on to Kandahar Airfield on American Air Force flights.
Rob served in multiple areas: Kandahar Airfield, Kandahar City, Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad, Khost, Shah-i-Kot Valley, Tora Bora and surrounding areas.
Living conditions while deployed varied depending on the mission and the location. In some areas where he served in Kandahar, the conditions were very harsh. His experiences included living in trenches in a defensive/security position or in small tents with limited access to showers, the phone and internet service. Power was intermittent, and the unit ate military rations for months.
As things became more established on other missions, the main military bases were more comfortable with accommodations in weather havens. Improvements included running water, fresh food at the dining halls, electricity, and improved phone and internet service.
I inquired about the best food he encountered, and he indicated that in Bosnia, the lamb roasted on a spit was phenomenal, and in Afghanistan, the BBQ goat was the best local food.
The squadron travelled from Edmonton to Dubai by commercial airliner, then to Kabul on a Canadian Air Force Hercules.
Rob served in Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad and surrounding areas.
His unit’s responsibilities included: providing security, de-mining operations, counter IED (improvised explosive device) response, opening roads and bridges, terrorist intelligence and emergency response.
In Kabul, the summers are hot and the winters cool with heavy, wet snow blanketing the mountainous terrain. Although they receive more moisture than Kandahar due to the higher elevation, conditions are still very dry.
Animal sightings were mainly small ones like rabbits, hedgehogs, dogs, goats and sheep. Scorpions, snakes and camel spiders posed the greatest risk, especially in the Kandahar region.
With all communications, security was paramount and access to phones and the internet was determined by what the situation on the ground was at the time. Discussions could not include any operational information. During various ground situations such as upcoming missions and incidents that resulted in fatalities, communication blackouts were implemented.
Domestic Service
The medals and a commendation awarded to Rob during his time in the military include:
Discharge
Rob received an honourable discharge from the Canadian Military in 2005 and retired holding the rank of sergeant.
The patch on the shoulder in the picture is a brigade patch, signifying that Rob was in 1 Brigade, which was from western Canada. The white pin with the red maple leaf and crossed swords is the Mobile Command Badge. The three stripes with a maple leaf signify the rank of sergeant.
Military Contract
Rob returned to Afghanistan to work at the Kandahar Airfield as a Military Contractor from 2008 - 2012. He spent a lot of time communicating with local vendors and business people during this time.
There are currently no Canadian forces on the ground in Afghanistan. Rob is heavily involved in working with a veterans’ group getting interpreters out of Afghanistan. Through continued engagement with local people, they have gotten some of them and their families out; they continue to work to get more out as soon as possible as it is extremely perilous for them to remain there.
Reflections
The most challenging thing for Rob in Afghanistan was experiencing and understanding the fanatical, extremist hatred of the radical groups and witnessing the brutal hardships the majority of the local people faced.
The most impactful thing he learned was that good leadership is invaluable and saves lives. Never discount a good leader; value and treasure them. In any area of life, poor leadership can create a toxic and destructive culture.
Life Today
Rob does not have any regrets regarding his military service; he would do it again in a heartbeat. What he misses the most is being around his brothers in arms. On November 11th, Rob will attend a private Legion ceremony.
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