Teamwork

Heroes Remember

Teamwork

Transcript

Interviewer: In military situations, tell me about teamwork. Well you are an individual amongst a section, it could be ten to thirteen, fifteen people. Your section is part of a platoon, thirty to forty people, your platoon. You're part of this larger unit. Someone can die as a result of, of your decisions or indecision, or inactivity. So you can cost not only your life but the lives of other people. And you absolutely need their trust, they need your trust, and you cannot do anything, ever, to take that trust down. So, you go into battle, or you go wherever, you need that trust, and you, you need to be a part of that team, and that's the absolute first thing that the military teaches you. You check to some regards your individual perspective, you check that at the door. You're part of a team. Some people can understand that if they're part of a football team, or hockey team, or even a police force or a fireman. You work as a team, and you, it, it, it is no longer yourself. It is your buddies, 'cause you better go to the end of the world for them because they better go to the end of the world for you as well. So you cannot have, when you are in a rather unique situation, you can not have someone, an individual going off. It just, it just, it simply can't happen. There is no other alternative. I don't like this, I'm going to stop now. No, ‘cause you just, as a result of your decision to not participate, or your, your, it has to be decisive and that's what the military teaches you. You need to do this now. And without a question those five or ten people are going to turn around and do whatever you instruct them to do, now, without a question. That's the fundamentals of the military.

Description

Mr. O’Loan speaks about teamwork and why it is so crucial.

Timothy O’Loan

Mr. O'Loan was born in Edmonton in 1965. He grew up in a military family as his father, mother and brother all served in the Canadian Forces. Growing up in a military family he moved quite frequently but says his roots are in the north. At the age of sixteen he decided he was going to keep up the family tradition and join the services. He signed up when he was seventeen and served for 10 years. After leaving the forces he moved back to the north where he now works with the government on Aboriginal events.

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