Truth, Duty, Valour

Four years ago this summer we watched our son march through this arch into the grounds of Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. It was there that he became a cadet about to embark on his academic and military training which would sculpt him into an Officer in the Canadian Forces.


It was a long stretch of time for him - the blink of an eye for his parents as we watched our boy develop leadership skills, kindle team trust and learn how to handle himself in situations that no parent wants to consider. During those four years, our boy became a graduate, an Officer and a man.

Don and I attended his graduation last week. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada was among the many who attended and addressed the graduating class.

She received an honourary doctorate in Military Science and delivered the convocation address to the graduating officer cadets. She spoke eloquently and beautifully about the many ways our Canadian Forces have made, and continue to make positive changes in the world - in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Haiti. She emphasized the importance of family support and the contribution made to the success of the forces. This was a most appreciated sentiment which resurfaced throughout the convocation and commissioning events.

We were sitting a fair distance from the presentations and it helped that they had large monitors which brought the various speakers into closer focus. That didn't help however with the challenge of trying to get a few photos in the large, dimly-lit room. As Jeffrey stepped up in line to receive his degree, he turned back and looked right at me. I took this photo from across the room.


He and his fellow graduates were in traditional full dress, scarlet uniform. Jeffrey received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Military and Strategic Studies, after which more speeches ensued - spoken in our two official languages.

After the ceremony, Jeffrey changed into his "civies' (civilian clothes for all us non-military types) and we enjoyed dinner at Red Lobster but had to hurry back to RMC to see the Sunset Ceremony. I'll write more about that another time. For now, I'll fast-forward to Friday morning when the class of 2010 received their Commission and officially became Officers in the Canadian Armed Forces.


Defence Minister Peter MacKay addressed the graduates and spoke of the good work our troops are doing in Afghanistan. He acknowledged our most recent loss at the time - an earlier graduate of RMC, Colonel Geoff Parker. Sadly there's been yet another since then.



Chief of Defence Staff General, Walter Natynczyk gave our boys some wise advice. "Speak, act and live the truth. No less is acceptable. Your duty is to do what is right and proper all the time."



Parents and friends were then invited onto the parade square to be with their sons and daughters as they received their military Commission. Major General Walter Semianiw, Chief of Military Personnel presented Jeffrey with his, and he kindly posed with him for a few photos.


The newly commissioned Officers then marched off of the parade square and through the arch - hats and helmets held high atop their swords. This moment, among several others was very emotional, and many a teary eye glistened in the afternoon sun.


Jeffrey is now a Second Lieutenant in the Canadian Armed Forces. He will spend the next several months in Cornwall, Ontario to acquire his training in Air Traffic and Air Weapons Control. I am very relieved that he chose to transfer from his first trade of choice which was Infantry. I'm certain that he knows how fiercely proud we are of him. I am in awe of the man he has become in just twenty-three short years but I still hold close the little boy he was, and always will be to me.

Thank you, my son for giving me the enormous pleasure of being your mother.


Thanks also to Jeffrey's Aunt Trudy and cousin June and of course, Frank for driving out for the events and sharing our pride.

Ducimus

Ducimus is Latin for "We Lead." It's also the motto of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps with whom my son, will be an Officer after just one more year of training. Shortly after this post, Jeffrey and I discussed the possibility of writing a guest blog post for me, about how he views Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. He agreed, and that post appears below. The photos, as usual, are mine.

I promised my Mom that I would write a little something about Afghanistan and what it means to be a Canadian soldier. I will not go into the specifics of the mission, but I encourage people to take the time to educate themselves about the mission in which our soldiers are involved. So here is my take on Afghanistan and being a soldier.



In just over a year’s time, I will graduate from the Royal Military College of Canada. When I do, I will have the honour and the privilege of leading some thirty or so of Canada’s finest men and women. Every day, I put on my uniform and proudly wear the Canadian flag on my shoulder because I believe in this country and everything it represents.





People sometimes ask me why Canadians are fighting in Afghanistan and it is a difficult question to answer because there is no single response. As a country, we are in Afghanistan because Canadians, through our elected representatives, have decided that it is in our country’s best interests to be there. As individuals, soldiers have many reasons for wanting to go. Most soldiers, myself included, believe whole-heartedly in the mission and given the chance, would be there without a moment’s hesitation.

Earlier this year I attended a briefing with a couple hundred of my fellow aspiring officers, and the question “Who wants to go to Afghanistan?” was posed. There was not one person whose hand did not immediately shoot into the air. I want to go to Afghanistan because I believe that I can play a part in making it a safer and more developed country. Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan is set to end in 2011, so I may not get the opportunity to serve there, but I know that there will always be someplace where I will be able to help make a difference.





Living in Canada, it is easy to forget that the world is a very unpleasant place for many people, and that unfortunately, there will always be a need for soldiers like myself. As a country, we have an obligation, not only to protect ourselves and our interests, but to help the rest of the world become a better place. I have great faith in Canadians with our morals and values to choose the right missions for the Canadian military. I know that wherever I am sent, I will be there to do good, and to promote those values.



In Afghanistan, 117 Canadian soldiers have given their lives for their country. I sometimes hear people say that these lives have been ‘wasted’ and, I have to say, this angers me. Each and every one of those men and women died fighting for something that they believed in. Wasted implies that these lives were given carelessly and without thought or purpose. This is not the case.




When I will eventually lead my soldiers in operations, I know that I will be putting them at risk. I think that my biggest fear is that I will have to send one of my soldiers home in a casket. They will know that I am going do everything in my power to make sure that every single one of them comes home alive, but at the end of the day, bullets still fly two ways and that risk can never be eliminated. They know this, but they are still willing to take that risk because they believe in what they are doing. That is what it means to be a Canadian soldier. They take those risks willingly so that others won’t have to.

To those who have made the ultimate sacrifice - Rest Easy.

Ducimus

Thank you, Jeffrey for writing this guest post for me. You know how profoundly proud I am of you. Stick around for comments!

The image below was inspired by a series of photos I saw in an elementary school hallway on Saturday. It showed the faces of every child in the school, done in a mosaic-like artwork. When stepping back from it, you could see that the individual faces made up the Canadian flag. This is a far less sophisticated rendition of that idea. The faces you see in are those of our 117 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty in Afghanistan. The words are the lyrics to our National Anthem in both English and French. You can see the names of these courageous soldiers here and here. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

After Dark

This is the final post about the Sunset Ceremony at my son Jeffrey's university - Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. You can scroll down to see the previous posts, or you can find Part One here and Part Two over here.

As the sun began to set, music filled the night air. The RMC Band was originally a Pipe and Drum band when it was founded in 1953. It has grown to include a Brass and Reed Band, a Choir and a small group of Highland Dancers, and is now the largest volunteer band in the Canadian Armed Forces.



They marched in with all of the pomp and circumstance fitting of a military band.



The pipers piped.. the drummers drummed to the beat of our proud history.


Highland Dancers did a fling.



The Honour Guard, with their sixty nine Officer Cadets marched onto the parade square carrying our provincial flags. The graduating Colour Party handed off their duties to the incoming Party.



The darkening night made a clear shot difficult, but you can see how colourful our flags are.



When troops were garrisoned in inns, drummers were sent through the streets to sound the Tattoo (from the Dutch "taptoe" - to close the tap) in order to get the troops to return to their quarters for the night.



The tradition of Feu-de-Joie (Fire of joy) is the sequential firing of rifles to ensure that they were cleared of damp charges, and were in good working condition before the night guard was posted.



A lone piper stands atop the McKenzie Building clock tower and plays a goose bump-forming rendition of "Amazing Grace."



As the ceremony drew to a close, it was time to lower our flag.



The band faced the Canadian flag and played the National Anthem as it was being lowered.

The RMC Band played as they marched out of the parade square, signaling the end of the Sunset Ceremony. It was followed by one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen - too good for my camera to do it justice.



Back at his dorm, we said good-bye to our boy for what we thought was going to be the full summer. As it turns out, Jeffrey's training has been postponed until mid-June, so he'll be home tomorrow for a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

A Visit With Our Boy

Last week, we took advantage of what might be our last opportunity to see our older son, Jeffrey before sometime in August. He finished his second of four years of academics, and is now awaiting the information which will tell him where he'll be spending most of his summer in training. Recent course changes have left his plans to be at the Canadian Forces Base in Gagetown, New Brunswick up in the air for now. As soon as he knows, he may find himself on his way there, to nearby Trenton, Ontario or to somewhere in Alberta. If it weren't for the fact that the course in Trenton would be teaching him how to jump out of planes, I'd be hoping for the nearby location. But that choice is not mine.

About a month ago, Jeffrey began telling his Dad and me about the upcoming Sunset Ceremony at RMC (Royal Military College), suggesting that we take the time to come visit for the day. Don and I decided to take him up on it, and drove there together on Wednesday. We left after the morning rush hour and arrived in Kingston shortly after one o'clock. We picked up our hungry and tired son, who greeted us in uniform, and headed into town to share a lunch at Morrison's where we knew we could order a classic all-day breakfast.



The restaurant was as I remembered it from previous visits to this university town - an old-fashioned diner-style setting where they care about their customers and the food they're serving. If you're ever in Kingston, you won't regret giving them a try.

Once our appetites were sated, we spent some time wandering around the campus. RMC is situated on Point Frederick peninsula at the point where The St. Lawrence River begins its journey from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean.


The centerpiece of the entire campus is the Mackenzie building with its clock tower which overlooks the parade square. Built in 1878, it's one of the many historic buildings on the peninsula.



This is one of four Martello towers built in Kingston. The one you see here, is contained in Fort Frederick, a fort made mostly of earth mounds and a stone wall. It's situated on the point of the peninsula and now serves as a museum.


This view is looking toward the Martello tower through the doorway of the stone wall.



Small sets of steps like these can be found all around the earth walls. That's my boy at the top of them.



You'll also find cannons strategically spaced along the earthen mound. This little sparrow was perched at the end of one of them.



Meet Brucie. He represents the cadets with their motto "Truth, Duty, Valour."



The folks at RMC have a casual approach when it comes to Brucie. He can often be found dressed up for various occasions. During the last hockey playoff series, he was sporting a Montreal Canadien's uniform.

Jeffrey was very tired when we arrived. He had been out celebrating the end of the academic school year with friends, since he was free of obligations for the next day's Sunset Ceremony. That was a rare treat for us, as we usually sit through these events while trying to keep an eye peeled for a glimpse of our son, dressed identically to hundreds of others. This time Jeffrey would be able to spend the full time with Don and me. The only problem was this growing fatigue he felt from an inadequate night's sleep. Knowing he'd feel better after a short nap, Jeffrey sent us into town for a while so that he could catch up on some missed sleep. Don and I wandered along the harbour and through the city streets, stopping for a coffee and waiting for the "I'm awake" phone call from our son.


It was a hazy, drizzly day, but that didn't keep people from enjoying the waterfront. Kids fed and chased seagulls, and groups strolled along the walkway.



As we continued toward the city streets, this curious site caught my eye. The mismatched footwear seemed to be abandoned in just this manner, nowhere near any of the many people who dotted the pathways and grassy area. There was no apparent reason for these "sole mates" to be there, except to be photographed - so I did. Don commented that he'd be willing to bet that there's another pair just like it somewhere...




This locomotive was built in 1913 for the Canadian Pacific Railway on the exact spot where it stands today, in front of what used to be the train station, now serving as a tourist office. The city of Kingston has plans to restore it by the time it reaches its 100th birthday in 2013.

We soon got the phone call from a much refreshed Jeffrey, who had worked up an appetite and was ready for dinner. While we ate, we made our plans to be back at the parade square with about 45 minutes to spare before show time. The sky was getting grayer and the rain we had been promised all day looked as if it was planning to put in an appearance just about.. now. We grabbed an umbrella, ground sheets to cover our laps, and towels upon which to sit, and settled in for the show.

I'll post some photos from the Sunset Ceremony in a few days.