Let me ask a couple questions. Have you ever picked up and moved across the country, leaving all your family and friends back at home? The thought of doing so does not sit well with most people and it’s not something most are willing to do. The uncertainty of selling your home. Trying to figure out via a quick Google and a couple day “house hunting trip” which neighbourhood you want to settle in. Arrive in a brand new province, city and neighbourhood. You don’t know anyone else there but you have to be there. You get settled and adjust; meet the neighbours and of course make some new friends. Figure out the local coffee shop you like the best, which restaurants you enjoy and settle in to a routine. Two years later, you are told to move. Again. Another couple provinces over. You start the process all over. Here’s the good news, at least you are still in Canada.
Another question. When was the last time you were away from your friends and/or family for an extended period of time? Where did you go? Vacation somewhere? What came to mind when I said “extended period of time”? A couple weeks? A month even? Imagine if you had to leave your family and/or friends for a six month period! Potentially, even an entire year. Now, imagine not leaving to the safety and security of our usual “comfortable way of life” but to a place built on and around turmoil and conflict.
Last question. How would you feel about the idea of being put in harms way? Instead of going to your heated and air conditioned office for five out of seven days a week, you are living in a temporary constructed “lego block” building on the other side of the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Instead of trying to decide which restaurant you are going to go to for supper and drinks on a Friday night, you are sitting on a bench at a crudely constructed table eating whatever was on the menu at the “mess” that night. Instead of laying in bed worrying if you remembered to lock the front door, you are laying in bed worrying about a rocket coming over the fence and hitting your temporarily constructed home, killing you and everyone else inside.
I’m willing to bet many of us simply “would not”; that many of us simply would not make those sacrifices. I’m not condemning that decision. Not in the least. However, there are people who make those choices and do those things every single day.
For those of you who don’t know, I worked for the Department of National Defence for a little over six years as a “civilian ammunition technician”. That little write up in the hallway at the gym with an interesting fact about me that reads “I’m an explosives expert” isn’t a lie. In my time there, I watched those first three paragraphs of this blog happen over and over with people I worked with every single day. I didn’t ever have to make those sacrifices or deal with those things. I did work along side men and women who that was their reality. Not only were they asked to do those things, but their families; spouses and children, parents, brothers, sisters; had to deal with it all as well.
I worked with and became friends with a ton of amazing people during my time with National Defence. One of those people is one of my best friend’s in the world, retired Warrant Officer Francis Therrien. I met Francis 14 ish years ago. He was in the military as the same trade I worked in as a civilian, “ammo tech”. When he showed up in Dundurn, he could hardly speak English. He’s French like that Jason Cain guy, but we won’t hold that against either of them. I remember sitting at the “mess hall” (the cafeteria) one day at lunch with him and a couple other French guys. Francis said something in French and picked out the word “sel” in the sentence. I grabbed the salt shaker and passed it to him; best friends ever since. Francis grew up in Quebec, joined the military very young, was posted from province to province all over the country moving every couple of years. He has done several tour overseas and left behind all the comforts Canada has to offer to serve our country. While I worked with National Defence he did a tour overseas. We emailed back and forth quite a bit and I heard the stories of rockets coming over fence in the middle of the night first hand from him. While he was in Dundurn he met his now wife, Michelle. Michelle had an established career in Saskatoon and had spent her entire life in Saskatchewan. She lived it every single day while Francis was gone. The feelings of waiting for the next email or phone call. Trying to pass the time and live the comfortable way of life while her other half was in harms way. Thankfully, he came back safe and sound. A short time later, Francis was needed elsewhere and they uprooted from where Michelle had lived for her entire life to head to Ottawa. Michelle had to get a new career in Ottawa. They settled in to their new home, found the local coffee shop, met the neighbours and made some new friends. A couple years later, Francis was posted back to Dundurn. They both left their life they had created in Ottawa to come back to Saskatchewan (selfishly I was pretty pumped about it because they were here again!). Francis eventually retired and they now live in Saskatoon with their son Max. A real quick summary of a wild ride that was “their life”.
I wanted to share that story because it was their life. It affected my life. It gave such an admiration for people who chose that life and chose to be a part of that life. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day and the gym is closed. I think often when November 11 rolls around our thoughts go to “back then” and remembering the World Wars and those aging veterans. Our thoughts should. I would encourage you to also think about those people who are making those sacrifices today - still. They leave everything they know to move across the country. They leave everyone they love to go across the ocean. They put themselves in harms way so that others don’t have to. Some of them never get to come back home. Some of them pay the ultimate price.
I am so thankful for the amazing people, just like Francis, who did what they were told to do so that I can enjoy what I want to do. We have men and women who are “in the army” and do everything that needs to be done to make day to day life happen here at home take place overseas. Plumbers, truck drivers, police, cooks, administrators, doctors. They do these jobs just the same as everyone does here, only “over there” away from their loved ones and in harms way.
Tomorrow, on Remembrance Day, I encourage everyone to take at least a few moments on their “long weekend” to recognize and think about those who chose to make those sacrifices. We are blessed to live in a country that has men and women who serve willingly. I respect the hell out of that! To anyone who has served or continues to serve, thank you. Thank you for making those sacrifices so that the rest of us don’t have to. Our Canadian flag displayed proudly on the wall at the gym is because of what those people have done; and they continue to do.
Happy Remembrance Day from Reebok CrossFit 306.