Best Aspects of Time in Cyprus

Heroes Remember

Best Aspects of Time in Cyprus

Transcript

Interviewer: And what about your time in Cyprus, what were some of the better aspects of your service time there? My friends, the Greek friends, Turkish friends, those bonds are for life; always going to have a place in my heart for them. Although some of them passed away I am always going to have a place in my heart. Because even today I mean I am still in contact with one of, son of my friend who died in Cyprus and the bond never go. They are in your heart. They live with you as long as you think of them. You go in a family where the only ones left is the grandfather, grandmother because all of the sons got killed in the war. And who’s taking care of the elders, it's supposed to be son, but there’s no son, the elder is stuck working. I will give you an example, you are driving and you see a family walking next to the road in Israel, in Egypt and the guy is sitting on the donkey. The first reaction for any people would be he’s lazy, he doesn’t feel like walking but when you get closer you realize the guy has no more legs. That’s why you have to wait before judging and learn. Sometimes judging is your worst enemy. We went there, I went there with eyes as a kid because everything was new. But maturity came fast. When they sent my friend back home in a coffin, maturity came really fast. What can I say? Like I told the kids at school, if you have a chance to travel around the world, travel and see what people are doing. Don’t judge them. Learn why they do it for and after that you will know it makes sense for them. It’s today’s reality, it’s not that. My country is the best one and I judge by what I have here, it doesn’t work that way. Respect disappeared now. Respect is not there anymore for a lot of things.

Description

Mr. Drapeau shares his story of timeless friendships and the importance of not judging others.

Daniel Drapeau

Mr. Daniel Drapeau was born September 11, 1957 in Charny, Quebec. After attending high school in Quebec, Mr. Drapeau made the decision to join the Canadian Forces. He held rank of private and became a tank driver with the Armoured Corp. After obtaining his training in Val Cartier, in 1974 Mr. Drapeau accepted deployments to Cyprus and the Middle East. After a year of service, Mr. Drapeau was medically discharged from the Canadian Forces. With the assistance of a service dog, Kenya, Mr. Drapeau maintains a good quality of life finding time to volunteer his service. Mr. Drapeau now resides in Ottawa with his family.

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