The Positive Side of Somalia

Heroes Remember

The Positive Side of Somalia

Transcript

The one day that really stands out in Somalia is when the ship got there, and this was prior to some of the infantry groups and mortar platoon and some of the other Canadian groups that came. But I remember working with the dentist, standing there with the dentist of the ship for almost 12, 14 hours where he was giving free exams to Somalian children. And we were giving out toothbrushes and toothpaste and we were giving out some food, and the things that we did from the ship to the shore were some pretty amazing things. I mean it was, sometimes, I mean, what Somalia taught me was Canadians take things way too much for granted in terms of the haves and the needs and the wants. When you see a tin town in Somalia with 10,000 people that you can count every single rib or every single bone in their finger and you come back to Canada and you see Canadians complaining because they’re on welfare and they don’t want to work and they’re only getting $1,100 a month. That’s a hundred times more than any Somalis see in a year. And the negative publicity happened with it and it made a lot of people that did the tour in Somalia hide away and I always argued, “We did a lot of good in Somalia and it shouldn’t just be washed away because of one small group of people did.” One of my most rewarding times with the military, but it’s also one of my most eye opening times with the military to see the things that I saw, as well. You really learn in some places in the world the cheapness of life compared to what we see it in, in North America.

Description

Mr. Rutherford expresses his concern about the negative publicity Canadian Forces personnel received during the Somalia deployment, and instead focuses on the positive contributions made by our soldiers.

Mark Rutherford

Mr. Rutherford was born in St. Laurent, Quebec, on March 1, 1962. After making the decision to join the Canadian Forces, Mr. Rutherford became a member of the Royal Canadian Infantry Regiment. He received training in London, Ontario, and participated in theatres of service in Somalia and Cyprus. After retiring from his military career, Mr. Rutherford trained to become an addiction counsellor and became employed with the Department of National Defence in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He used his knowledge and military experience to assist fellow soldiers in coping with the emotional effects resulting from their deployments.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 1:44
Person Interviewed:: Mark Rutherford
War, Conflict or Mission:: Canadian Armed Forces
Location/Theatre:: Somalia
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Royal Canadian Infantry Regiment

Language selection

The Positive Side of Somalia

Heroes Remember