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Sniper Fire

Heroes Remember

Transcript
I guess the one thing about being my size is that these guys were trained to shoot by, you put the thumb on them and when the thumb covered them it was 500 yards. Well, that was based on a guy that was five-ten. Me, I’m only about five-six so I had a lot of rounds go over my head. Your first reaction is sheer fear and how in the heck do I get out of this? They you think about it and and you think, how do I fire back at them? And then the third thing is you get angry. You get madder than can be that this guy is trying to take your life, or if he isn’t trying to take your life he’s trying to stop you from going somewhere, and that’s about it. You sort of then you say well, there’s one of two things you do and you try to figure it out. If they’re trying to kill you, get out of there as best as you can. If he’s trying to stop you then figure out another way to get around him. Through all these feelings, it only takes a split second as this goes all through your mind and you’re saying, oh, wait a minute, I’m an officer. I don’t want anybody to know, you know, I don’t want my other guys to know I’m scared. You’ve got to lead these guys, and then all of a sudden you realize you don’t have to let them know. They know you’re scared anyway.
Description

Mr. Henry describes being fired on for the first time and his reactions to it.

William Henry

William Henry was born September 2, 1939 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. His father was a Second World War Veteran, which inspired Mr. Henry to join the School Cadet Corps. He received officer training and was commissioned in the 17th Recce, PEI Regiment. Upon completing his degree at Dalhousie University, he was re-commissioned in the Royal Canadian Dragoons. Mr. Henry eventually joined the Lord Strathcona’s Horse, attaining the rank of Major. His tours of duty included Cyprus, writing the orders of occupation for Sinai, and acting as an observer in Lebanon, a role he found difficult given his training as a military strategist.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
1:32
Person Interviewed:
William Henry
War, Conflict or Mission:
Canadian Armed Forces
Location/Theatre:
Lebanon
Branch:
Army
Units/Ship:
Lord Strathcona’s Horse
Rank:
Major
Occupation:
Observer, Controller

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

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