Getting Through the Training

Heroes Remember

Getting Through the Training

Transcript

My training in Borden took ten months and the failure rate was very high. We started off with about 360 candidates and we ended up with about 50, so the failure rate was pretty high. It was hard physically. It was hard mentally because the drill sergeants were always in your face, always yelling at you, screaming at you, not unlike the drill sergeants that you see in the movies, you know, Forrest Gump and movies like that, so it was hard physically and mentally for an 18 year old who had never really been disciplined severely like we were, but we bonded together. We became brothers because of the shared suffering, we were all being yelled at, we were all being hollered at and we were all on ten mile runs with full equipment. We all had blisters on our feet. We were all cold, we were all wet, but we were cold, wet, sore together so we had a bond. Really, I still remember the guys from 42 years ago and we still stay in touch so it was, you know, a good experience.

Description

Mr. Leavey describes the intense drills and exercise in training and how strong friendships helped ease the pain.

Bill Leavey

Mr. Bill Leavey was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1948. He was the second oldest of 8 children. After obtaining his education, Mr. Leavey was very anxious to find employment and had a great sense of adventure for the Canadian Forces. He was very involved in sports and hunting and felt the army would be a good fit. After joining, Mr. Leavey received his basic training in Camp Borden, Ontario and became part of the Black Watch Regiment - a regiment he holds great respect for. As well as service in Canada, Mr. Leavey travelled to Germany and continued training for combat with greater focus on exercise and weapons training. In 1997, a highlight of Mr. Leavey’s career was when he joined the team in the recovery of the C-47 in Burma. After his retirement from the military, Mr. Leavey joined Veterans Affairs Canada and presently works with the Occupational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) network assisting military personnel and families after discharge from the forces. Mr. Leavey and his family reside in Belleville, Ontario.

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