Warrant Officer (Ret’d) Theresa “Terri” Lynn Orser

Terri Orser was introduced to the military during the summer of 1980. She was at a baseball tournament when one of her teammates mentioned she’d seen an ad for youth employment with the military. She ended up enlisting. “I said I’ll just try it out. So I did and I loved it, fell in love with it right away”.

“I wanted to be everything that a female couldn’t be at the time. Females didn’t have a huge part in male-dominated trades. I wanted to be a firefighter. I wanted to be search and rescue. I wanted to be a PERI (physical education and recreation instructor).”

Terri says she didn’t think much about what she’d just signed up for until training started. Once in the reserves, it didn’t take long for her to realize she wanted to make the CAF her full-time career. She aspired to work in roles that were traditionally reserved for men in the 80s: “I wanted to be everything that a female couldn’t be at the time. Females didn’t have a huge part in male-dominated trades. I wanted to be a firefighter. I wanted to be a search and rescue. I wanted to be a PERI (physical education and recreation instructor).”

Terri left her position as a reserve signal operator and reluctantly took on an administrative role as she transferred in the regular forces. The new trade was a love-hate relationship. She absolutely hated the administrative work aspect, but loved the opportunities it provided her to deploy and see the world.

The Gulf War erupted when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait, in August 1990. Canada joined the American-led coalition right away, greatly increasing its presence in December of that year. Terri volunteered right away, but was told she was needed in Ottawa. That changed when she returned to work after the holidays. She’d be going abroad with the CAF on her first tour.

Training for this mission took place in the dead of winter ‘91, in Petawawa, Ontario. She then arrived in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, in +40C weather and joined the war effort, working with her unit at the First Canadian field hospital in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia, near the Kuwait border. For Terri, among other tasks, the part of the job that would be the weirdest to her was having to be a toe tagger for any of our troops who might be killed, to ensure they were properly identified.

“It was very exciting, but scary at the same time. Even though you’re admin, you get trained for any situation. We were told ‘look around you, some of you are not going to come back’ ”.

Field hospitals are housed in tents and follow the danger associated with the battle line. “It was very exciting, but scary at the same time. Even though you’re admin, you get trained for any situation. We were told ‘look around you, some of you are not going to come back’ ”. Fortunately, Canada didn’t experience any loss of life during this conflict.

On 28 February 1991, a mere 100 hours after beginning the offensive, a ceasefire was declared and Kuwait was liberated. As Iraqi forces retreated, Kuwaiti oil wells were set on fire, causing severe environmental damage. Some Canadian troops remained in the region, part of the UN peacekeeping mission patrolling the Iraq-Kuwait border, but Terri’s unit was told they were headed home. “We felt there was more we could do”.

Terri went on to serve overseas on three more occasions; twice in the now former Republic of Yugoslavia, where she witnessed nightly fighting between the Croatians and Serbians. Then, from 1996 to 1999, she was assigned a three-year posting at the Canadian High Commission (CHC) in South Africa.

This ultimate three-year overseas posting offered her the opportunity to join a group consisting of consulate and embassy personnel volunteering their efforts to local causes, such as painting buildings or cleaning up cemeteries and historical places. She also contributed to the construction of a school and a health centre through the CHC.

“Back then (in 2000), PTSD was a huge red flag. You’re totally screwed up if you have PTSD. You don’t want to believe you’re that weak, but it certainly felt that way. I don’t anymore. There are lots of resources out there.”

In 2000, Terri was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She courageously served another seven years, until her medical release. “Back then (in 2000), PTSD was a huge red flag. You’re totally screwed up if you have PTSD. You don’t want to believe you’re that weak, but it certainly felt that way. I don’t anymore. There are lots of resources out there.”

For her service, she received the Gulf War Medal and Bravery Bar, the UN Protection Force Medal two-tour clasp, the Special Service Medal for NATO and Peacekeeping, along with the Gulf War Medals for both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Since her release, she has been dedicating countless volunteer hours to improve the lives of our Veterans. She received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work with Veterans.

With courage, integrity and loyalty, Terri Orser has left her mark. She is one of our Canadian Veterans. Discover more stories.