Canadian Armed Forces

The lowest point

The journey to life after service is rarely straightforward and often includes pitfalls, but when you are offered a hand or two so you can climb out of the hole, you can find your footing again.

When Sergeant (Retired) Guillaume Durand medically released from the army in 2021, he felt that everything had been taken from him, including his purpose and identity. Struggling with chronic pain and PTSD, Durand turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. He was even homeless for a time, feeling so alone.

Originally from a village near Roberval, Quebec, Colonel (Ret’d) Gratien Lamontagne would occasionally attend the great air show at the CFB Bagotville. As soon as he turned 18, he went to the CAF recruiting centre in the hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, he had to give up his childhood dream because he wore glasses.

Early life

Lieutenant-Commander (Ret'd) Gordon Coon enjoyed what he calls a perfect childhood in Eston, Saskatchewan. In Grade 10, he left school for a job in New Westminster making springs for motor vehicles. But after three years of apprenticing, new shock technology was changing how cars were made. Coon sensed that it might be time to move on.

Arrival in Cambodia

Losing his Dad in a tragic mill accident on Fathers’ Day at age eight, Gerry White’s life was marked by adversity.

During her first semester in nursing in CEGEP, her internship supervisor told her, “You’d make a good nurse, but it doesn’t seem like that’s what you want to do.” In her quest for unique adventures and experiences, Sergeant (Ret’d) Geneviève Gauthier decided to go to the CAF recruiting centre in Rimouski. Three weeks later, on the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landing, she enlisted. “It was as though it was meant to be.”

Born into an Acadian family in Mont-Carmel, Prince Edward Island, Mr. Gallant joined the Army and rose to the rank of Captain. He served two tours in Cyprus as Battery Captain as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) during the 1970s and 1980s. His methods helped many soldiers and his interventions most likely saved many lives, including many Greeks and Turks. Years later as a major, he became a UN Military Observer as part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO), maintaining the peace between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Francesca Colussi says she did not initially see herself serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). When she joined Cadets at her mother’s insistence, she hated it.

After a month, she loved training in the field with her fellow cadets. When she had the opportunity to drive a tank at the age of 15, she knew “that was it.” She wanted to be in the military.

Introduction

When Military Police officer Corporal Erica Zadow pulled on her protective vest, she felt invincible.

“I think it’s easy when you’re a police officer to hide behind the vest. You feel bulletproof when you're in it—but you’re not,” the 34-year-old said.

An “army brat” following in her military parents’ footsteps, Zadow had aspirations of a long and storied career in the Canadian Armed Forces. Becoming a police officer in the military was a path she had long dreamed of taking.

Lieutenant (Retd) Eric Dionne was first posted to Quebec City in the 3^rd Battalion Royal 22^nd Regiment, then to St-Jean and later Ottawa. Over the course of his military career he’s been deployed to Afghanistan three times, and to Haiti once. He now lives in Asheville, North Carolina in the United States, where his wife, Julie, is studying to be a surgeon.

Joining the military

Emilie Létourneau grew up in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec—population 40,000. Her origins may have been humble, but her adventurous spirit was anything but. At age 17, Emilie enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). She served as a Marine Systems Engineering Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy for just under 11 years.