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Description
Michael Thier
Mr. Michael Their was born in Vancouver, B.C. August 30, 1970. Looking at options for a career choice, at age 24 Mike considering himself a late bloomer chose to join the military. Only four days after joining up and being trained an as infantry soldier, Mike was given an opportunity to deploy to Bosnia with IFOR ’96, SFOR ’99 and then to Ethiopia as part of UNMEE in 2001. After a horrific accident turret explosion to the armoured vehicle, Mike received serious facial wounds and after more than twenty surgeries he was given no choice but to be medically released from the military. Suffering with PTSD, Mike continues to struggle yet carries on with a sense of purpose in life and holds great pride in wearing the maple leaf. Mike has been named part of Team Canada for Invictus Games 2018 taking part in the sport of weight lifting and wheelchair basketball. Mike resides in Fredericton, New Brunswick with and family.
Transcript
I was young and dumb really I was more of a camaraderie type soldier. I felt safe around my other troops. We always felt safe in numbers. Was there any one time where I felt in danger? Ya, we were sniped at and we had to deal with Mujahadeen, the terrorist network a few times. Landmines were everywhere. You know you always have to be vigilant as to what you were doing. Kids carrying shot guns, kids carrying rifles. You never know what you are going to see through the day.