Role as Platoon Commander

Going to Afghanistan as a platoon commander was a fantastic experience for me. There was some peaks and valleys to it obviously but overall that was one of the highlights of my career for sure. We were the first rotation in there in 2003/2004, Roto O. We were in the city of Kabul and you could tell the change from when we first got there til the end of the tour, you know, you could tell that kids weren’t going to school, you know, there was no music. The streets were kind of quieter but by the end of the tour you could see more people on the streets, more businesses opening, schools were opening. It was an experience really cherishing what we have here in Canada knowing that those Afghanistan people and what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. It was incredible and to be part of that and making that difference and helping them avoid conflict and get on and live their normal life was really a rewarding experience. So we were busy patrolling and helping the police services patrol and the military patrol their certain districts. We had lots of meetings with mayors and the elders in the communities about how we can work together to secure that area. The platoon was very busy. We did a lot in that six months. They were very long days and long weeks but, you know, I had a great group of men under my command and they were fantastic individuals.