Colonel (Ret’d) Michel Duhamel

What led you to a military career?

I joined the military in 1977 at 17 years old. I was really drawn to the military after spending four years in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The Cadets taught me many valuable life skills but more importantly, the understanding that collaborating with others, we could succeed in completing difficult tasks that could not be accomplished by individuals. I truly enjoyed the discipline and camaraderie in the Cadets, so the military was a good fit for me. In 1998, I was in Moncton, NB, the location of the headquarter of 4^th Air Defence Regiment, when a severe ice storm pelted parts of Eastern Canada.

Answering the call of duty

Once we saw the extent of the damage on the news, we anticipated that the governments of New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec would make a request for military assistance. I received the notice in the evening of 7 or 8 January from the Commander Land Force Atlantic Area in Halifax. He appointed me Task Force Commander for the operation in New Brunswick and instructed me to deploy my Regiment and other reinforcements from Gagetown to the disaster area. I set up my headquarters in Saint John and deployed troops in several towns along the Bay of Fundy coastline.

A morale-boosting operation

I feel like we needed and appreciated Operation Recuperation as much as the civilian population it was intended to rescue, if not more. I know it is hard to think of a disaster like that, but for troop morale, I always considered Operation Recuperation as a significant turning point in the relation between the Canadian population and its military.

1998 was at the tail-end of a very difficult decade for the morale of soldiers with base closures in Canada and Europe, and the Somalia Inquiry. Since most soldiers train and operate in relative obscurity, often shielded from the Canadian public eye, the government’s decision to drastically reduce troop level appeared to reflect a deterioration of public support and left many soldiers questioning their role and sense of worth for society.

So in a weird way, the 1998 ice storm turned out to be the perfect morale-boosting storm for them. It was at the right time, and at the right place. The path of the storm affected millions of Canadians who got front-row seats to witness their sons and daughters in action. Similarly, it gave soldiers the opportunity to deploy on home soil for the benefit of the people that matter most to them – their own citizens, and in this case, often their own families, friends and neighbours.

It was noticeable to me that after the storm, soldiers were walking a little taller.

Facing different challenges

During Operation Recuperation – just like any major military operation – we faced a number of different challenges. The most important one was ensuring the safety of our troops. We had to coordinate with NB Power to confirm that power lines were no longer carrying current before we could remove nearby fallen trees that were blocking roads for first responders.

Training was key. Soldiers are not normally trained to operate chainsaws. The risk of injury was high because of the slippery working conditions. We also had some logistical challenges: we needed more chainsaws than the military had available, so we went to local hardware stores and bought quite a few.

Finally, my balance was challenged on more than a few occasions. While travelling by helicopter to coordinate with local town officials, landing areas were limited and often uneven. The ice was so thick that the helicopter could not break through to secure the skids in place. When powering down, the helicopter would start sliding sideways and/or spinning. I often had to jump from the helicopter onto slippery ice while the pilot hovered over the ice at full power.

Last word

Teamwork. Teamwork is the most important and valuable skillset that we teach soldiers from the moment they join the military. The tasks during Op Recuperation were especially well suited to showcase this. While overseeing the progress, I witnessed the pride, effort and drive that soldiers had to rescue their fellow Canadians.

In my book, this was the best example of Canadians helping Canadians.

One of Canada’s Veterans, Michel Duhamel has left his mark. Discover more stories.