“Just Wanna Keep Deploying”

Heroes Remember

“Just Wanna Keep Deploying”

Transcript

Cyprus was my first deployment and right on, excellent, we get to go and get a medal and do all that and Cyprus, looking back we used to think, “Oh my God, this is like a hard tour.” We were just monitoring the line for twelve hours at a time and other than that we are seeing Cyprus. For a first deployment it was, you couldn’t ask for any better. You meet new people. You meet new places and it gives you that little, it’s like a hook on the end of a worm, you know, you just get that little nibble and you just want more. And then you turn and we call it a tour junkie. You just wanna keep deploying. Talking to people and, you know, talking to the old people and they are like, “Oh thank you, thank you!” and it’s like that everywhere, every tour I’ve been to since. When you talk to the old people they really get why you are there. It’s just the younger ones, they are more influential and you can talk them into a lot more stuff but the older people, I had a lady come up to me in ‘99 in Bosnia that recognized me in ’96 and she came up and gave me a hug and that’s why you do it.

Description

Mr. Reist was happy accepting deployments and expresses the reasons for feeling this way.

Mike Reist

Mr. Mike Reist was born December 18, 1969 in Waterloo, Ontario. Having had a great uncle as a role model, Mike made the choice to join the Canadian Forces, only advising his family of these intentions two weeks prior to attending infantry training. Mike joined with 2 RCR, 2nd Battalion Infantry Division and held rank of warrant officer. Mike has a long record of service overseas - Cyprus 1991, Bosnia 1992,’96, ’99, Africa 2000, Afghanistan 2003, ’07 and Haiti in 2005. Mike had 27½ years of military service. Mike is very proud of his military career and is quoted as saying, “It’s the best thing that ever happened!” Upon medical release, Mike was stricken with PTSD and has become an advocate in speaking out about this condition. He is presently active with the Soldier On program and has competed in the Invictus Games in Toronto 2017 as part of Team Canada’s wheelchair rugby. Mike presently resides in Gagetown, New Brunswick with his wife and family.

Meta Data