Bad Memories of Haiti

Heroes Remember

Bad Memories of Haiti

Transcript

Quite honestly the Haitian people are scrambling to survive, just to live. They are a clean people. They like to, you see them a lot in creeks and rivers beds washing themselves and their clothes and so on so forth. The kids that were fortunate enough, you could see a lot, they were dressed in uniforms going to school. Well these uniforms were quite clean looking so I'm wondering if these foster parents plan systems were working there or not. I'm not sure, but it was nice to see. It was a comforting thing to see that at least some were getting an education. How much of an education I don't know. But it's the, it's the down trodden that were just not helped. I mean people with money just kept their money. Up in Petionville, the grocery store was protected by a guy with a 12-gauge shot gun and if a Haitian tried to go in he was bumped out. It was only for white people. I mean that's bad. That is just horrible. I don't have good feelings about Haiti. I don't have good memories of it. I mean open sewage systems all over Port au Prince is a common thing. I mean there's no sewage like we have here. It's just open and disease and filth is everywhere. So..., major miracle required, and I can't do it. I just gotta try and forget about it. There's some soldiers that are a lot worse off than I am. I didn't have to bury the hundreds that they did. I didn't have to dig a hole with a front end loader and dump bodies into it and fill it up. I was very fortunate, very fortunate. There's a lot worse off, a lot worse off. Yep, every two weeks or every month they had to go empty the morgue because it was full and we had to do that, the Canadians, with a front end loader.

Description

Mr. Vaillancourt speaks of the horrific conditions the Haitian people must live under.

Marc Vaillancourt

Mr. Vaillancourt was born April 22, 1957 in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. After high school, Mr. Vaillancourt was interested in receiving a trade and with the desire to live the adventure of the military, age 19, he decided to join. At this time, Mr. Vaillancourt trained as a vehicle technician and joined with the Elelctricial Mechanical Engineer branch. Mr. Vaillacourt held rank as Master Warrant Officer. In 1990 Mr. Vaillacourt’s postings began as part of the 12th Armoured Regiment with a tour to Cyprus and in 1997 was part of a unit that travelled to Haiti; a specialized tour organized in Ottawa with only 5 soldiers in command. Mr. Vaillancourt was discharged from the military and now resides in Barrie, Ontario with his family.

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