The Soldiers Who Came Before Me

I remember when I was in Cub Scouts and that sort of thing, going to the services and never really listening to the words that were spoken. And I remember going as a teenager and just not really, not really hearing the words that were spoken and not even knowing really the story behind Flanders Fields and that. And I can remember going to, to a Remembrance Day and hearing my uncle’s name, my great-uncles’ names called and not really connecting the dots or anything like that. But what it means to me right now is pain, honour to those that came before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice and for those that came home and were treated properly and not disrespected because these folks, if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have a free country. We wouldn’t have a society that we could, we have a choice. And the people from the First World War, the people from the Second World War, the Korean War Veterans, those folks were the ones that taught me how to survive in places like Somalia and lessons that were taught back in those days are still being used even with our troops in Afghanistan. We always carry a bit of our past with us and when I go to a Remembrance Day service or I spend any November 11th no matter where, I always give thanks for those that came before me.

Mr. Campbell expresses the pride and respect he has for the soldiers who served before him in the Canadian Forces.

Robert Campbell

Mr. Campbell was born in May of 1956 in Elmsdale, Prince Edward Island. At age 10, his father decided to move their family to the farming community of Alberton. With the desire for something better to do in life, Mr. Campbell left the farm life and joined the military. In April 1975 he joined the Canadian Forces and trained in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia. He then travelled to Borden, Ontario to complete his technician training which resulted in a military career as a mechanic. In 1992, Mr. Campbell joined the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Regiment and stayed with that unit for four years. During this time, he served in Germany and Holland. Mr. Campbell was later posted to Petawawa and became a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, with deployments in the Golan Heights and Somalia. During his mission in Somalia, Mr. Campbell was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In 1997, he returned to Petawawa, Ontario and was medically discharged from the Canadian Forces. Mr. Campbell and his family moved back to Prince Edward Island where he worked with Veterans Affairs Canada.