A Sense of Home!

Heroes Remember

A Sense of Home!

Transcript

Christmas was fantastic too, seeing Santa driving a vehicle with a gun was interesting. But you celebrate in your own ways. Halloween when nobody else celebrates Halloween on the other side of the world seeing us walk around with witches hats on was very unusual for them but it gave us that sense of home, that sense of, you know, not everything is different because at that time was when you got a fifteen minute phone call once a week that you had to sign up for and wait in line for. We didn’t have the internet, we didn’t have cell phones, like this stuff just didn’t exist. We were still writing letters back and forth at that time. You were so secluded from your family. And I was lucky enough that, road to mental readiness is a big thing we talk about now in the military and just mental health in general. Back then most of the time the people that gave us the briefings on mental health were never there so what we did once we got in theatre I gave a briefing to the guys and there were like, you know what whether you are right or you are wrong, we’re just so happy you are here with us and you know what we are talking about. And then I would help the guys, sometimes they would come up to me and they would be like, you know, I was talking to my wife and I told her I went to the mess for a beer after work and she got mad at me and I don’t understand why. And I’m like, “Do you have kids?” “Yah!” So she’s at home with like your three children trying to tough it out and do everything and you’re telling her you went to work and had a beer.” And he goes, “Well yah I can’t tell her what I am really doing because it is awful and it will scare her,” and I’m like, “Scare her a little just enough so that she knows you are not just sitting here having a party right?”

Description

Sharing special thoughts of home, Crew shares a story of how special occasions were celebrated and her continued interaction with the soldiers in a positive and appreciative approach!

Rhonda Crew

Rhonda Crew was born August 25, 1970 in Moncton, New Brunswick. Crew first joined the reserves as a 17-year-old, becoming one of the first women in an infantry regiment, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders Regiment of Cornwall, Ont. Then, after going to nursing school and working in the civilian world for a few years, she rejoined the military in 1997. Almost immediately, she was serving as a flight nurse on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Crew accepted deployments to Bosnia 1999 and Afghanistan in 2007, holding rank of Lt. Colonel Nursing Officer and still serving today in the capacity of Canadian Armed Forces Nursing Officer. Stricken with PTSD during her time in military, Crew finds a positive approach in dealing with the effects and has recently been chosen as part of Team Canada for Invictus 2018! Rhonda and husband Duane, also a CAF Veteran now reside in Stittsville, Ontario.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Recorded:: July 27, 2018
Duration:: 1:46
Person Interviewed:: Rhonda Crew
War, Conflict or Mission:: Canadian Armed Forces
Location/Theatre:: Bosnia
Battle/Campaign:: Bosnia
Branch:: Canadian Armed Forces
Rank:: Lieutenant-Colonel
Occupation:: Nursing Officer

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Date modified:: 2019-06-20