Some Best and Worst Aspects of Service

Heroes Remember

Some Best and Worst Aspects of Service

Transcript

I guess probably one of the best ones would have been up in the platoon house was seeing the locals, you’re treating them and then you’re going up to the local school and delivering kids with toys and bunnies, rabbits whatever up to the kids and see their faces to have this stuff again and doing that kind of stuff. One of the platoons I was working with also in the local hospital cleaned up the top floor of the hospital and turned it because it had all been shot up and everything destroyed. So we went up to help them with that and they did a really good job cleaning all that up and turning it back so being able to witness some of that stuff being done and helping the locals with things that weren’t being done, that was a really good feeling. Some of the worst probably would have been you go up in the hills and some of these people that aren’t out of beds very much. They don’t have very much; we tried to get wood stoves into them, wood, food. You hear reports on the radio the night before that someone came in and stole the roof, actually went out and stole the roof off another house, all the shingles. Burned houses right beside them and the realization that wasn’t our job to go in and stop this. Because that wasn't our job was to stop local trifle type problems like that. So you feel kind of handcuffed because one thing you were there the day before and you’re helping these people, you’re feeling good then to hear over the radio the houses around them were all burnt, they’ve lost everything, people came in at night, held them at gunpoint and went through the whole house and took everything that they had and stuff like that. That was just common place. Very much poverty. They didn’t have a lot of food. Like I say, very sick and malnourished kind of thing, not anorexia or nothing just not eating very well to the standards that we’re compared to.

Description

Treatment of locals was a satisfying part of Mr. William’s duties but he found it difficult to witness the poverty and devastation of the country.

Andy Williams

Mr. Williams was born June 24, 1964 in Trenton, Ontario. His father being in the Air Force, Mr. Williams had the strong desire to join, however, when his time came, the decision for service would be army and began his training career as an army medic. In 1985 he joined as a reservist and spent 25 years with the Regular Force. In 1997, Mr. Williams was deployed to Bosnia with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse Royal Canadians holding rank of master corporal. Another opportunity for a posting was exercised in 1998 when he deployed to Kosovo, this time with the 1 Service Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. Mr. William’s army career as a medic took him to many In-Canada posting serving with the Canadian military and upon retirement resides in Berwick, Nova Scotia with his wife and family.

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