Canadian Armed Forces

It is December 1990, more than four months after Iraq first invaded Kuwait. The largest coalition of military forces since the Second World War has assembled in the Middle East to stand up for the Kuwaiti people and their freedom.

Tensions are high.

In the Persian Gulf, Canada’s HMCS Athabaskan is helping to secure the waters off Iraq and occupied Kuwait.

On board, young Naval Electronic Sensor Operator Tony Tremblay has just been handed an envelope.

Introduction

Todd Ross had loved the military since childhood. As an adult, he excelled in his position in the Royal Canadian Navy—until he was dismissed in 1990, through no fault of his own, caught up in the LGBT purge.

Since then, Todd has applied his considerable talents and skills to build an impressive career. He also helped lead the class action that led to an apology and compensation to LGBT members.

“I’ll be releasing with a hockey sock full of stories” says Warner, looking back on his extensive service. Enlisting in the reserve in 1976, at only 16 years of age, Warner was following in his father’s and two older brothers’ footsteps. All of them served in reserve units around Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Why were you sent to Egypt? What did you know about the mission?

I was sent to Egypt as a peacekeeper to be part of the Canadian Contingent United Emergency Forces in the Middle East for Operation Danaca. I was there from May to November 1978. My main role was to maintain the camp facilities, as well as some remote forward posts in the Sinai Peninsula.

From a very young age, Ontario native Sarah Mizzi has always enjoyed seeking out new adventures. With a love of the outdoors and a passion for travel, she joined the military in 2019 at the age of 25 after attending a local recruiting fair. “I had always wanted to travel and help my community. Whether it’s helping out abroad or domestically, that was something that I was always passionate about.”

Operation VAGABOND

In northern Iran, Sampson operated communications equipment and protected unarmed military observers who reported to the UN about Iranian military actions near the border. A similar team operated in Iraq. Isolated and watched by Iranian commandos, the Iranian-Iraqi body exchanges in no man’s land were one of the few times Sampson met another Canadian outside his three-person team. It was there, in an Iranian compound, he says he quickly grew up and became a problem solver.

Introduction

“We all have our stories. I deserve to be here” are the words etched on a bracelet on Sergeant Rufca Hanna’s wrist. It was a gift from her Invictus Games coach and she never takes it off. The motto reminds her that mental and physical health go hand-in-hand.

“I wear it proudly because it shows me that there is a life after the military. There is a life after everything that happened to you. I want to do well for myself and my country, but I want to show up for every one of my teammates,” says Hanna.

A day with Dallaire

Cornfields surrounds a restored rural Quebec farmhouse nestled between the Appalachian and Laurentian mountain ranges.

On a blue-sky, late summer day, international humanitarian icon Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire (Retired) is feeding his backyard chickens.

“Oui, oui, oui,” Dallaire coos as he scatters mealworms for the three copper chickens who follow, like good soldiers, at the heels of his well-polished shoes.

Robert “Bob” Maxwell was just 20 years old when he decided to change his life by volunteering for service in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1957. What prompted him to make that choice is still a mystery.

“To this day, I couldn’t tell you why I ended up going to the air force and writing the exams,” he explains. Nevertheless, the native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has no regrets about the path he chose.

For Maxwell, basic training was in St-Jean, Québec, with an incoming class that included a few other recruits from the Maritimes.