Satisfaction for Doing my Job

Interviewer: So looking back on the deployment what were some of your best aspects of being there as an infantry soldier? Knowing that I was actually doing my job. It’s basically an infantry soldier’s dream to do that. It’s like if you don’t get to deploy and actually do your job its like being on a hockey team and all you do is practice. Being at home right you’re always going on exercises and training, it’s like being on a hockey team and you just practice, you don’t play the real game. Then going overseas you are actually doing your job and you are doing it to the full extent. Especially being in the military and in the infantry you have your highs and lows with the people that you work with and most of the time like being over there it’s not like any other job where like you run to HR or your shop steward and you tell them you’re having a problem with it and they sort it out. You sort it out right there. You yell at each other, you get it off your chest and then you shake hands and you get back to work. That’s the best way. I love that about being in the army especially the infantry. Especially being deployed and being a tight group with guys you start learning more about somebody’s personal life. People start opening up. You find comparisons, things that you didn’t know or things that you would never dream that somebody went through or what their hobbies are. They’re like wow, I never took you as that type of guy. And then sometimes you come home really hating somebody like man I am glad that’s over, I never want to work with that guy again. But at that time you suck it up and get through the job. The harder parts are that especially when you are close with somebody and even if you didn't know, if you’re not close with somebody but if somebody is killed overseas everybody in the platoon feels it because it’s somebody that you have been working with for a year maybe two years or knew your whole career but it’s a member of the family that was killed so everybody feels it. There was a couple of guys that were killed in my company. Not lucky in a sense but we didn’t have anybody, I don’t think we had anybody killed due to enemy fire or anything like that but we had wounded from enemy fire but our deaths were caused by a vehicle accident which happened in the city. I didn’t really know those guys but it still affected me like it opened my eyes up like wow this is real, like I could be killed but also you know these guys have wife and children at home. I think they were both married and they both had two daughters so you think about that too so it’s really sad.

When questioned about some best and worst aspects of service, Corporal Kerr provides an honest and heartfelt expression of his experiences.

Nick Kerr

Nick Kerr was born December 2, 1981 in Victoria, B.C. His father was in the military and had a personal connection with Lady Patricia and Nick knew one day he would join that regiment. In 2003, he attended military training in Wainwright, Alberta and upon graduating went to Shilo, Manitoba. Nick joined with the 2nd Battalion Canadian Light Infantry holding rank of Corporal. In 2006 Nick accepted a deployment to Afghanistan. Returning from overseas, Nick continued serving and became part of the contingent for security at 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. as well as the 2011 floods in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Always willing to serve and volunteer his time, Nick became a huge part of the organization in which Highway of Heroes was born where he still commits twice a year to cleaning the highway. Corporal Kerr is a still serving member with the military and resides in the province of Alberta.