Sign in to My VAC Account
Sign in to My VAC AccountOn a hot August afternoon, former Military Medic Sergeant (Retired) Jessica Miller arranges bouquets in an air conditioned building on her rural Nova Scotia flower and vegetable farm. The air is fresh and fragrant as she cuts the stems, explaining how she had grown and arranged the flowers for a swanky Annapolis Valley wedding the night before.
After playing 63 ramp ceremonies in Afghanistan, Master Corporal James Gendron was ready to hang his bagpipes up for good.
His heart just couldn’t take the solemn melodies of ‘”Amazing Grace” or “Flowers of the Forest,” the Scottish lament for lost loved ones.
“At the end of my tour, I was pretty much done playing bagpipes,” he said.
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Claude “Ollie” Cromwell (Retired) was born in Digby, Nova Scotia, and moved to Montréal as a young teenager. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1979 and began a long career in military logistics. If our men and women in uniform are not effectively supported with the required resources, they cannot fulfill their duties—a fact that makes the logistical trades vital.
Veterans Affairs Canada gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Kathy Grant and Sarah Onyango for their support in the development of the department’s commemorative resources on the military service of Black Canadians.
Bettina Fuchs joined the military in 1985 to get her life in order and gain some financial stability. Her love of driving and the outdoors led her to a career as a Mobile Support Equipment Operator (MSEO). “It’s such a huge trade, there’s so many things you can do. (…) We drive everything from tractor trailers to buses – anything that has a job. Heavy equipment, VIP, troop carrying vehicles, air drone vehicles.” Her chosen trade would take her around the world and make her a pioneer.
“I knew I wanted to be a soldier when I was just 4 years old,” says Wendy Jocko, Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. “We were living in Petawawa at the time and I noticed a soldier at a store across from my home. I looked at him and I thought to myself, that’s what I’m going to do when I grow up.”
“...throughout the history of my family, we have had a long association with military service.”
Terri Orser was introduced to the military during the summer of 1980. She was at a baseball tournament when one of her teammates mentioned she’d seen an ad for youth employment with the military. She ended up enlisting. “I said I’ll just try it out. So I did and I loved it, fell in love with it right away”.
Sergeant Stephen Thomas attended Birchmount Collegiate in Scarborough where his interest in the CAF sparked following a wrestling match. “I had defeated my opponent, who was much larger, and after our match he told me ‘you can’t do what I do.’ Turns out he was part of the Army reserves at the time. So, I joined the Forces on a dare.”
As a young Quebecois, Simon Mailloux’s desire to join the military and serve his country was amplified by his experience in the Air Cadets. “I loved my time in the Cadets. It made me even more certain that I loved this world and that I wanted to make a career out of it.” That was the beginning of a great adventure filled with many challenges and triumphs.
Robert Thibeau enlisted in 1972 as a Private with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). In 1978, he was deployed to Cyprus as the Section Commander to look after operational standards and resolve issues as they arose. He returned to his home base in Calgary and promoted to Sergeant in 1979. He rose to the rank of Master Warrant Officer, all while completing his high school diploma.
