Controlling Fear in Battle

Heroes Remember

Controlling Fear in Battle

Transcript

Let’s talk a minute of fear. Fear you know is a normal thing. It exists in every human being. And in fact it’s protective. It raises your focus and says, oh oh, you know, sharpen up. It’s not a question of oooh, I’m afraid, I’m afraid. That’s not fear, that’s something else. That is not controlling fear. You are trained to control fear. As a soldier you are trained to do that. You know you are going to be exposed to fear. And the thing is to hold it within yourself, say yes I’m sharper now. I’m really, my ears, my eyes, my skin is all at very attentive to what’s happening around me. That’s what fear causes when you are in a battlefield and the question is to control it. And if you have been well trained you control it.

Description

Mr. Charland provides his perspective on the definition of fear and how it affects those during battle.

Claude Charland

Mr. Claude Charland was born February 27, 1929 in Montreal, Quebec. As an only child and born during the Great Depression, Mr. Charland was placed in a boarding school in hopes of experiencing a better life. After obtaining a high level of education, he made the choice to join the military. In 1948, he took part in the Canadian Officer Training Corp and underwent infantry training in Camp Borden followed by additional training in Val Cartier. In 1950 the Korean War started and Mr. Charland became an instructor for francophone officer recruits. In 1951, joining as a callout, Mr. Charland chose to be part of the Korean War. He joined with the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment and upon retirement held rank of Lieutenant. Mr. Charland holds great pride for his service during Korean War. In 2018 during the Korean Olympics, Mr. Charland had the great honour and privilege to be the torch bearer as part of Team Canada and carried the torch 100 metres through the rink grounds where he had served and played hockey many years before. Mr. Charland retired from the military in 1982 and remains very active in his community.

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