Cyprus and its Culture

Heroes Remember

Cyprus and its Culture

Transcript

We had a wheeled reconnaissance squadron that was due in 1967 to go to Cyprus in a peacekeeping role so I got linked up with them so I became an armored car driver. We went over in September and came back in April. I was 19 years old and it was very exciting for me. I remember a very long aircraft ride over. We had a situation where we had two different separate cultures over there with the Greeks who were Christian, kind of old fashion, stuffy group and the Turks, who were Muslims, of course, and they were different. And they didn’t like each other, our job was to keep them apart which we were largely successful at doing. We used to do long range patrols on the island and I recall working with Finnish soldiers, they were, we were doing convoy escort and we would take convoys of civilian cars through the mountains of Cyprus, between Nicosia and Kirinyaga. And we would have five armored cars with fire power and then we’d have the Finnish soldiers on motorcycles with a rifle over their back. And sometimes some of the Greeks would try to pass each other in the convoys and the Finns would, they’d be on their motorcycles and they could nip in and out of the convoy all over the place. So they would come up and they had steel plates on the end of their boots and they used to kick the side of the cars to keep them in line. They were very bold, big fellows, big blond guys – the Finns, very good buddies, we used to have the odd beer together, you know, and that type of thing.

Description

After experiencing a traumatic incident, Mr. VanIderstine shares an inspirational story of how an old lady showed her appreciation for the soldier’s protection

Peter VanIderstine

Mr. VanIderstine was born March 3, 1948 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Growing up in a small community of Belfast, Mr. VanIderstine attended a one room school house and later graduated from high school. After moving off the Island with his mother, Mr. VanIderstine joined the Army in 1968. He went to Petawawa, Ontario for basic training and soon accepted his first posting in Fort Gary Horse, Calgary, Alberta as a Tank Gunner. Holding occupation of Armored Car Driver, Mr. VanIderstine accepted an opportunity to join a Wheeled Reconnaissance Squadron heading to Cyprus that same year. From 1969 to 1972 Mr. VanIderstine was posted to Germany. He then joined the Paratroop Airborne Regiment and spent 2 years in the High Arctic. In 1976 Mr. VanIderstine traveled to Egypt, this time holding rank of Sergeant as a Tank Commander. After retiring from military, Mr. VanIderstine returned home to his province of Prince Edward Island to marry and raise a family.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Recorded:: March 20, 2006
Duration:: 3:50
Person Interviewed:: Peter VanIderstine
War, Conflict or Mission:: Canadian Armed Forces
Location/Theatre:: Cyprus
Branch:: Army
Rank:: Private
Occupation:: Tank Driver

Language selection

Cyprus and its Culture

Heroes Remember