His first posting was to central Alberta in the early 1980s, to a communication and radar station (a “Diefenbunker”) in Penhold. His first deployment outside North America came in 1985. while serving with the 1st Canadian Signals Regiment (1CSR) when he deployed to the Golan Heights as part of the UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force).

“Flying into Damascus while looking over the cities you’re flying over,” Charlton says “You would see the surface to air missiles that were surrounding the airport.”

Arriving in Damascus, Charlton was collected by UN forces, and taken towards the Golan Heights.

“You would see the signs of recent battles and the war’s refugees,” he says.

Stationed on the border between Lebanon, Israel and Syria he worked as a radio operator and was the detachment commander. He and three others spent six months isolated in a house with a bunker for safety, reporting on fighting and troop movements around them.

The UN force in the region occupied an area of separation (AOS) between Israel and Syria, a region where neither the Israeli or Syrian military were supposed to enter, or any armed operatives of any kind, besides members of the UN mission, who patrolled the region.

“We had a day to day routine to keep up,” Charlton says. “Once a day a dispatch rider would drive through and drop off the mail. That we really looked forward to seeing.”

They came under fire several times, when skirmishes broke out near their outpost.

“This was actually the first time I’d actually been under live fire from somebody else that was actually shooting at me,” Charlton says “I really didn’t think of it the first time, I basically just reacted. It wasn’t until later on that I was thinking about it … really this could have gone south real quick.”

Returning to Canada, Charlton was posted to Debert, Nova Scotia in 1988. From there, he deployed twice to West Germany with NATO, where he patrolled along the Berlin Wall. In 1992, with the collapse of the Soviet Union he served on a multinational humanitarian aid mission to support Russia and the former Soviet Republics as their economies failed.

“No Western people had been into that area of the Soviet Union since the Second World War,” he says “It was very interesting to see how the people lived. I felt very sorry for them, seeing the level to which their country had degraded.”

Based out of Helsinki, Finland, and operating in temperatures as low as -40°C, the mission helped deliver supplies via airplane, to cities across the former republic.

In 1994, he was deployed into Rwanda, as part of the lead elements of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda II (UNAMIR II), organized in response to the country’s ongoing genocide.

“There was a lot of street fighting going on inside of Kigali at the time.”

That June, he was among the first Canadians from UNAMIR II to arrive in Rwanda, as part of the reconnaissance party. Flying into Entebbe, Uganda, they then drove overland into Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.

“There was a lot of street fighting going on inside of Kigali at the time,” Charlton says, “Refugees were hiding out where they could in Kigali. When I first got there, besides the small remnants UNAMIR I force and a few UN organizations. The only other western people there were Doctors without Borders.”

“Our job initially was to provide communications to the country, there was no infrastructure left in the country, it was anarchy.”

Initially he worked out of the UN headquarters in Kigali, until more UNAMIR II forces arrived at the end of July. They then travelled to Butare, Rwanda’s second largest city. There, amongst on-going fighting, they established a forward headquarters and communications centre, while organizing defences for more United Nations peacekeepers soon to arrive.

“Our job initially was to provide communications to the country, there was no infrastructure left in the country, it was anarchy,” he says. “We were using radio systems that we hadn’t used operationally in a long time, systems that were dated; however it was required because the infrastructure within Rwanda didn’t exist.”

“We stayed in Butare for the remainder of the tour,” Charlton says “It was the middle of July when the [war] ended and things started to calm down. Then we were involved in finding the mass graves, there were still bodies everywhere.”

In December of 1994, he returned to Kigali, and flew back home to Canada.

“The airport in Kigali was functioning by then and the fighting was much more limited,” he says “When I first got there in June, it wasn’t functioning at all.”

Charlton later served on a tour in Afghanistan from 2003-2004, helping build  computer networks for the multinational forces in the capital of Kabul. Returning to Canada he served with the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (2RCHA) in Petawawa and Ottawa before retiring, after thirty-two years, from the Canadian Armed Forces.

“It’s been a pretty varied career over 30 odd years,” says Charlton.

He is active with the Rwanda Veterans Association, an organization that brings together Veterans of that peacekeeping mission to talk about their experiences serving in Rwanda. He also continues to stay in touch with members of the Australian Defence Force that he met while in Rwanda.

“I think it’s really helped a lot of guys, in getting them socializing more,” he says.

He also spends time volunteering in retirement,  primarily with St. John Ambulance.

We recognize and remember the efforts of Canadian peacekeepers on missions around the world. With courage, integrity and loyalty, Mark Charlton has left his mark. He’s one of our Canadian Veterans. Discover more stories.

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