Opportunity for Deployment to Nairobi

Heroes Remember

Opportunity for Deployment to Nairobi

I spent four years in Trenton as I said and during that time I had the opportunity to deploy for the first time and it's kind of funny because I agreed to go as part of a recce team into Nairobi and my husband was away at the time. He was over in Poland. And what was so funny is I had a dog and we went from kind of deploying in a week to deploying in two days and having to get ready and having to make those kind of plans and trying to contact my husband to let him know I was going to Nairobi for a week and by the time I had left it was actually, I was there for eight weeks before coming home. So it was just... and it was over Christmas and it was just a strange adventure but one that I wouldn't have given up. To see another part of the world and actually be, to be part of a team on the ground, pushing aircraft starters and getting people through the airport, through the back way and setting up hotel accommodations for troops coming in. It was just a very vibrant and flexible team and it's funny, I actually ended up on the front page of the Nairobi paper with my picture being taken in the hotel in which we were staying as we were trying to check people into hotels and what not, so it was, I don't know, just a strange time. And we landed in Nairobi like I said and we were only there for maybe three days and then we ended up in Entebbe and we ended up being there maybe for seven weeks but the flow had actually, the mission got canceled really before it started. It's just interesting, you know, you think of a strategic moment, well we ended up staying over Christmas just so it wasn't seen that we were coming home before Christmas, right? So nobody wanted us to be, you know, the word to be that the Canadians were pulling out so they could be home for Christmas so a bunch of us ended up stayng, prolonging the mission into the new year so we didn't have that hanging over our head.

Ms. MacDonald speaks about the opportunity to deploy to Nairobi and the short preparation time given to decide.

Jo-Anne MacDonald

Ms. Jo-Anne MacDonald was born in 1960 in Ajax, Ontario. At the age of 18 Ms. MacDonald chose to join the Canadian Forces. Having graduated from high school, Ms. MacDonald realized her passion for sports, adventure and hopes of securing employment, a military career would be the right path for a successful future. In 1979, Ms. MacDonald enrolled in a Regular Officer Training program and accepted her first posting to Comox, British Columbia where she remained for four years and during this time met her husband who was also in the military at the time.. A time when women were unable to attend military college, Ms. MacDonald did her undergraduate degree at a civilian university, spending her summer months in Chiliwack, British Columbia doing basic officer training as well as speciality training in the logistics program and accepted her occupation as a Logistics Finance Officer. Although she considered her process a very traditional career path within this field, Ms. MacDonald was provided many positive and life changing experiences. Ms.. MacDonald eventually accepted a four year posting to Trenton, Ontario reuniting with her husband and being what she considers the best four years of her career. She was part of Wing Controller 8 Wing Trenton and held rank of Major. During this time Ms. MacDonald accepted her first deployment to Nairobi, Africa as part of a recce team. As her career continued, Ms. MacDonald also deployed to Afghanistan holding rank of Colonel (CJ8) under a Multinational NATO led Headquarters unit as financial technical expert. After 31 years of service, Ms. MacDonald retired from the military and continues to work in her field of expertise.