My VAC Account
My VAC AccountIt was a grey day when Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan sailed back into Halifax Harbour after months in the Arabian Gulf. The Atlantic air was heavy with mist. On the jetty, a young sailor’s family stood in the anxious crowd; a wife, parents, siblings and two small boys. One of them, barely old enough to understand what war was, clutched a handmade sign that read: “Welcome Home Daddy”.
Born in Halifax in 1969, Gerald Doutre grew up in a military family in Lantz, Nova Scotia, moving between different communities throughout his childhood. His father served in the Navy, and several of his relatives had served in both the First and Second World Wars.
In high school, Doutre worked part-time at the warrant officers’ and sergeants’ mess in Ottawa, where his father served as the committee president. Seeing the military lifestyle up close inspired him to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlist.
In 1885, women serve for the first time in Canadian military history as nurses in the field to provide care to the Canadian troops serving in Saskatchewan. A total of 12 nursing sisters are awarded the North West Canada Medal for their service.
Under the blazing Afghan sun, amid sandbags and shellfire, Corporal Matt Luloff found time to write songs.
“It was a great outlet, it helped me make sense of everything that was going on around me.”
As a member of the Task Force Kandahar battle group, Luloff did security, navigated fighting patrols on foot in the Panjwai-Zharey district and, at the end of the tour, transported troops along the world’s then most dangerous road —Highway 1 from Kandahar Airfield.
When Maria Vidotto joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983, there was no grand strategy, family pressure or dramatic calling.
It was a Yellow Pages ad in a St. Catharines, Ontario, phone book that caught her eye.
“I was a good student,” she said matter-of-factly. “I had options.”
Her initial plan was to become a military police officer, but she started realizing her aptitude was leaning toward the Royal Canadian Air Force, into a trade few civilians ever see up close: Air Weapons Systems Technician.
On 24 December 1955, US Air Force Colonel Shoup, Director of Operations at CONAD (Continental Air Defence Command), received a call in his office in Colorado Springs. This was no ordinary call. It was coming in on one of the top secret phone lines. Colonel Shoup answered the phone expecting it to be the Pentagon or a four-star general.
"Are you really Santa Claus?", a tiny voice asked.
Ms. Fuchs speaks about the idea of being a woman in the military and how over time she became easily accepted in the position of driver.
Mr. Snell explains the process he went through in becoming part of the crew on the HMCS Athabaskan and the work required in a short period of time before embarkment.
Realizing the burning oil fires were close, Mr. Mellor describes the sights from on board the ship with the smell and foggy surroundings.
Contrary to some media reports, everyone worked as a team and was focused on the duties at hand.
