The Level of Poverty

Heroes Remember

The Level of Poverty

Transcript

Here's a good example. We're flying to the other side of the Island. We're quite high in the helicopters. I spot this hut on top of a hill. I start looking at it and studying it. It's a mud hut and a grass roof, the whole nine yards. But then I see a circle beside the hut and I start observing that. There's an ox or a cow tied to a stick, a pole and that cow's going around in circles turning a big wheel, a big stone and that's how they're crushing their wheat and doing whatever they need to do what they're doing. This is 1997, and they have a cow you know, turning a stone crushing wheat I mean it's just amazing. Or we're driving down the roads that were there and where there was good pavement, that's where they dried out their rice because the sun beat down on the pavement and dried out their rice. That's poverty, that's poverty. Deep in the capital itself near the port, is about the worst place there is, and when a person suddenly loses urge to live, there was so many there, no clothes on their backs just waiting to die. We're driving through the port with the windows rolled up, the airconditioning cranked, maxed out, tears going down our eyes because of the stench. That's how strong it was. Naaah, that's poverty. Yep, it's just horrible, horrible.

Description

Mr. Vaillancourt describes what he witnessed and the degree of poverty among the Haitians.

Marc Vaillancourt

Mr. Vaillancourt was born April 22, 1957 in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. After high school, Mr. Vaillancourt was interested in receiving a trade and with the desire to live the adventure of the military, age 19, he decided to join. At this time, Mr. Vaillancourt trained as a vehicle technician and joined with the Elelctricial Mechanical Engineer branch. Mr. Vaillacourt held rank as Master Warrant Officer. In 1990 Mr. Vaillacourt’s postings began as part of the 12th Armoured Regiment with a tour to Cyprus and in 1997 was part of a unit that travelled to Haiti; a specialized tour organized in Ottawa with only 5 soldiers in command. Mr. Vaillancourt was discharged from the military and now resides in Barrie, Ontario with his family.

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